I'd Forgotten The Taste Of Chocolate
by Enna York
Summary: Blake Rossi long thought she put the mafia behind her, a high school student who acts as her younger siblings mother her life changes when she gets kidnapped by none other than Mello. Her life becomes intertwined with his and she joins the pursuit of Kira. But will the bickering mafia figures find more then just respect for one another? Will Mello finally surpass Near?
1. Chapter 1: What Does Sweet Taste Like?

It was rainy and dreary that evening, the sky an ugly dark grey that poured fat droplets of rain. Not that it bothered Mello much at the moment despite the fact he was riding his motorcycle. He had been working not on the Kira case to his displeasure, instead he had been working on determining the movements of other mafia bosses and groups.

It was childishly easy in Mello's opinion and extremely boring, all of a sudden he had the urge to eat chocolate but when he went to get some he found his stock was empty. Someone was going to pay later for eating his chocolate but for now he was left alone on a quest to find a bar. He found the convenience store, finally it had taken forever. However, it was the only one close to his current apartment that sold his favourite chocolate the others had other popular brands but none were close to the one he was looking for.

He parked his bike and dashed into the store to escape the down pour. He bee-lined for the where the chocolate bars were arranged only to run into someone. Their shopping basket clattered from their hand and they stumbled forward falling to their knees.

"E-excuse me, I wasn't watching where I was going." The person apologised quietly and weakly although the accident was really entirely Mello's fault. He glanced down it was a girl his age, her long ebony hair made a curtain over her face hiding it.

He glanced her over, her body language suggested submissive and weak. She was one of those people who wanted to stay in the shadows and when brought into the light was easily pushed around, there was no fight in her, her shoulders slumped and she curled in on herself defensively. She was wearing a well-worn brown hoodie that was underneath a large bulkier grey hoodie that was faded from years of wear, a pair of black fingerless gloves were on her hands. A large hand knit white scarf was wrapped around her neck and she was wearing dark jeans frayed from wear and worn brown leather boots that were severally scuffed.

She got to her feet retrieving the shopping basket, Mello glanced it over curious. Groceries, milk, bread, eggs all of the staples someone would need for a house. As he glanced over the contents he glanced over to whatever items he could see and noted they were all the cheapest brands and most of them were on sale. He noted that some essentials were left out because he supposed they were too expensive. The most costly thing in her shopping basket was a TV dinner and as he looked at it, it was most likely for the plastic bowl that came with it not so much as the food.

She shifted to the side looking at the chocolate bar display, he couldn't see her eyes but from the way the girl shifted uncomfortably from foot to foot he could tell that she was locked in indecision about whether or not to get the bar. He shrugged it off and reached forwards for his bar for her hand to shoot in front of his and snatched one of his favourite bars. He glanced over at her and she flinched slinking away to the cash register. The way she moved reminded Mello of a scolded dog afraid of being struck.

He grabbed several bars and got into line behind her, the elderly lady before her was taking her bags and the young girl to Mello's surprise patiently waited before pulling items out of her plastic shopping basket. The cashier scanned the items, Mello watched the young girl pull out the chocolate bar last and look at it still undecided.

The cashier glanced at her, "Is that everything miss?" she asked the girl scrutinizing her for holding the chocolate bar. In a flash it was set down in front of the cashier who scanned it putting it in the bag, "That'll be thirty eighty five miss."

The girl's hand disappeared into her pocket digging deep to retrieve a wallet, she opened it Mello already imagined the contents messy probably with lots of gum or candy wrappers a complete disorganised disaster. But to his surprise it was clean and organised on the inside. He noted a family photo, a younger healthier and by far a more vibrant version of the girl in front of him with small children, one girl and one boy on either side.

She opened the cash pocket and fingered through the bills, Mello could count them as they went past and there weren't that many only seven dollars, however the pocket was filled with coupons. With great precision the girl retrieved the needed coupons having memorised where she had stored them. She pulled them out and handed them to the cashier.

Mello watched amazed as the girl tactfully brought her price down, "That'll be nine dollars and thirteen cents." The cashier said.

Mello knew immediately this would not end well, the girl pulled out the seven one dollar bills and with a shaky hand passed them over. Mello could see the girl's fear; she brushed her hair back from her face tucking it behind her ear. Her eyes looked terrified, he could see her thinking through her math and double checking the numbers to determine if she had been wrong but he could tell that she knew she had been right all along and had been over budget.

With trembling fingers she struggled to unzip the change pocket on her wallet. She rooted through it dropping the coins on the counter organising them, in the end she was still thirty cents short. Mello watched her shift uncomfortably she pointed to the chocolate bar.

"I'll just put-" she started but the cashier shook her head out.

"It's fine just take it, thirty cents doesn't make that much of a difference." She insisted.

"Thank you!" the young girl breathed a sigh in relief, she grabbed her bag and slunk out of the store, Mello paid for his chocolate relatively quickly. He opened the first bar and began to devour it greedily trying to savour the taste of the bar as it melted in his mouth. He glanced outside it was still pouring however a large familiar bundle of clothes made him slow his pace.

The girl was standing in front of the store both of her hoodies' hoods pulled up over her head, judging from her position she had been walking home before pausing in her step. She had stopped just past the overhang the rain pouring down on her. She had only been out for a few moments but was already soaked through her bangs dripping water into her face. Mello could see the chocolate bar in her hand, it hung limply by her side the wrapper pulled away and a large chunk bitten off.

He heard a choked sob and watched the girl's shoulders rise and fall, he cautiously approached her quietly, she took another bite as she sobbed, "I can't taste it… I can't taste the sweetness. What does sweet taste like?" she cried to herself, "I've forgotten what sweet tastes like." She let the bar slip through her finger tips and splash into the puddle at her side.

Soaking wet she disappeared into the down pour leaving Mello staring after her, he was thinking back now to in the store when she brushed her hair back from her face. Her face was somehow familiar though he couldn't place where he'd seen it which was odd he always memorised faces.

He finished the bar in hand remaining under the store roof and dry before heading over to his bike and taking off. He returned to the apartment quickly and dumped his pocket loads of chocolate bars into the cabinet. He'd have to get more later in the day but for now it'll do since he had to get back to working on the cases presented to him.

He worked tirelessly frustrated that he couldn't be focusing on Kira and out witting Near. It rained constantly outside of his window pouring relentlessly, the streets soon flooded cars sending huge sprays of water up on unfortunate pedestrians. At nine Mello decided he'd done enough for the day he couldn't over work himself after all he needed sleep in the morning he was going to be back on the Kira case immediately.

He passed Matt's room his friend lost in the new game he'd gotten, he called out to him asking if he wanted anything but Matt was too busy defeating a boss in the game to respond besides gaming gibberish. Mello clambered onto his bike and sped off, instead of the convenience store he was going to head to a candy store across town they'd just gotten a shipment of chocolate in today.

He drove through the pouring rain and fortunately there was very little traffic making the ride a fast one. However, as he came across a large bridge he had to slow the bike down the surface more slick than usual because of the rain furthermore the lights were dim or burnt out. Cautiously he drove across the bridge not willing to collide with a truck or car while on his bike.

As he drove he noted something out of the corner of his eye, a figure clinging to the railing of the bridge and looking down into the water just under a flickering street light. He watched as their foot slid into the rail and they began to climb up. Interested Mello drove to the end of the bridge and turned around speeding up to come back, by that time they had climbed up their feet delicately balancing on the railing as they stared down to the water beneath the bridge.

Cautiously they took their hand off of the street light and pulled their hood down, Mello recognized the person immediately it was the girl from the convenience store that looked familiar. He stopped his bike pulling off his helmet, his blonde hair was soaked in seconds and clinging to his face.

"Hey what do you think you're doing?!" he yelled out to her, but she couldn't hear him over the rain.

She was crying, he couldn't see the tears exactly because of the rain but she was crying he could tell because she wiped at her eyes. She sneezed and then hiccupped and the face clicked he did know her he'd seen her cry before.

He ran forwards still unsure of why he wanted to stop her, he didn't know her but he wanted to stop her anyways. He watched as she put her foot forwards it hung in the air.

"I'm so sorry!" he heard her yell over the rain to herself as she prepared herself to step forward.

"Stop!" he yelled and in that second she heard him, as her foot stepped down she turned her head to look back at him. Her eyes widened in shock and surprise as her foot slipped through the air, she fell forwards and screamed.

Mello jumped forwards at the same instant, he snatched her arm by the sleeve, "What the hell are you thinking you idiot!" he yelled at her angrily as she hung below him her feet kicking out.

She looked up at him and swung her other arm up catching his arm to hold on, "I don't know! I don't want to die, I don't want to not anymore!" she yelled out, he began trying to pull her up by her arm but it was harder than he anticipated.

He began to slide forwards and she noticed, her hand released his arm and she swung herself forwards and backwards. At first he watched confused wondering if she was trying to wiggle free and get him to drop her. She swung forwards and latched onto the bridge, she pulled her foot up under her, with a grunt she pulled herself upwards. He noted that somewhere amidst all this chaos the rain had stopped, the only water pouring down was coming from his hair.

Mello watched it despite her weak appearance the girl was actually quite strong, he pulled and tugged as best as he could to help her up and after a moment's struggled she was pulled over the railing. Her foot caught on the railing and she toppled forwards into him catching him into an embrace, her arms locking tight around him. She buried her face into his chest and began to cry.

"I don't want to die, I didn't want to. I don't want to die!" she sobbed, Mello stood awkwardly unsure of how to deal with the sobbing girl, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." A car drove past illuminating the two in the bright headlights. She clutched onto him desperately, he could feel her trembling from fright as well as the relief in being alive.

"Hey do you want to get out of the rain?" Mello asked her. She stopped her crying and released him stepping away and wrapping her arms tightly around herself while looking at the ground, "Don't you have somewhere to go? I can take you there if you need it."

She looked up at him and in the weak flickering light he saw her face, her lip was split and bloody a trail of smeared blood coming out of her nose and a large bruise was spreading on her cheek. She looked down quickly at the ground with her dark black eyes and shook her head.

Mello rolled his eyes and sighed of course, of course it had to be like this. He was beginning to wonder why he'd even bothered to stop at all, she probably would've been better off without his help it was obvious her life was horrible. He thought of Matt and what Matt would've done.

"I'll loan you my couch for one night, but you're clearing out in the morning understood?" he barked at her, she looked up at him with those dark eyes again they looked startled, "I said understood."

"Yes, understood sir. But I'm fine really just leave me alone." She said suddenly looking frightened. Mello was confused, she was comfortable with him a moment ago but once she saw his face she got scared, maybe he did know her. She backed away from him and went to dash off but he grabbed her arm and squeezed tightly.

"Where are you going?" He demanded, "I can take you there."

"I'm fine let me go really I can find somewhere on my own." She insisted stubbornly trying to pull away.

He gave a violent tug getting angry with her, her strength was all used up from climbing up over the bridge and gave into the tug falling towards him, "You're coming with me whether you like it or not!" he barked at her.

"Fine then." She shot back at him angrily, she turned back around to face him giving him a venomous look. There was no doubt in his mind that she knew him, but the question remains does he know her and at this point Mello to his displeasure did not know.

"Take my helmet." He said and shoved it at her, she stared at it confused for a moment before pulling it on over her head, she pulled it on and tightened the straps. Mello clambered back onto his bike the seat was soaking wet from being left in the rain. It would unfortunately have to do until he got back, regretfully the girl climbed on behind him.

"You're going to want to hold on or you're going to fly off." He stated.

"Hold onto what, there's no strap or anything." She replied as if she had ridden a bike before, he knew what she was talking about typically on bikes that allow for a passenger there's a strap for them to hold onto. But as Mello never expected a passenger he never bothered to look for a bike suited for one.

He smirked, "There's only me to hold onto." He stated and reeved the bike he didn't hear it but he was certain that she snorted. He took off trying to get the bike to go as fast as he could get it to go, the girl yelped and grabbed his waist. She buried her face into his back screaming as her arms snaked around his waist. She held on tightly but not too tightly to be painful as Mello weaved in and around traffic he purposely took the long route to the apartment taking pleasure in her terror.

He slowed the bike down before going into the parking garage, "You did that on purpose." She remarked as they pulled over to his parking spot her voice echoing all around.

"So what if I did?" he challenged her and she remained silent after that, she climbed off of the bike before it came to a full stop removing the borrowed helmet. She threw it back at Mello who caught it and grinned as he did. She immediately pulled her two hoods back up over her head trying to hide her face.

"This way hurry up." Mello stated waving his hand. She trotted after him to the elevator he swiped his card and the doors opened a second afterward. She entered first and as she stepped in front of him he yanked her two hoods down off her head, "Leave them down." He ordered her, she sighed and inched away from him in the elevator. He watched her as she watched the numbers on the screen flip past, she wasn't from Whammy's so where had he seen her? She had to have been pretty insignificant if he couldn't remember. She swiped at her nose with her sleeve trying to remove the blood trail, she managed to but the sleeve now had a large blood stain on it.

They walked in silence to his apartment, she trotted after him hands buried in her hoodie she looked lost in thought and he didn't feel like talking to her. In fact he was wondering why he even talked to her in the first place, though he supposed he knew the answer. It was for what she said back at the store, she couldn't taste 'sweet' anymore she had forgotten the taste. She was a curious mystery, or maybe he was just associating her with chocolate, Mello wasn't quite sure at this point.

He opened the door tossing his leather jacket aside and gestured to the couch, "And that'll be your bed for tonight." She nodded and walked over to it, "You're not wearing that on my couch." She jumped and crossed her arms over herself defensively. Mello paused he probably could have chosen better words, "I meant your jackets, they're soaked through take them off." He clarified and she relaxed.

With shaking hands she pulled them up over her head, he reached out a hand sighing, "Here I'll put them through the dryer for you." She handed the jackets over regretfully; he registered what she was wearing underneath her hoodies, a white long sleeved shirt. She wrapped her arms around her glancing around the apartment nervously.

"Nothing is going to happen to you, stop being so jumpy." He growled at her causing her to jump. She sat on the couch in the corner she pulled her feet up under her chin and Mello noted that she was not wearing socks in her shoes.

"Parents?" he asked.

She looked over at him narrowing her eyes, "What are you talking about?" she asked him.

"I was wondering what it was that happened to you, so was it parents?" he asked her suddenly feeling the need to interrogate her.

"I don't have parents." She stated in a tone that suggested it was something that he should know and was blatantly obvious, "It's none of your business anyways." She added after a moment's pause.

"If you're going to stay on my couch it is my business." He replied.

"Somebody took my purse alright." She replied almost immediately, Mello narrowed his eyes at her this time suspicious but there was little he could do and he cared so little anyways. Without saying anything else to her he walked down the hall to his room, he could feel her eyes follow him but she didn't say anything to him. He got to his room and locked the door behind him as a precaution though he doubted that she'd do anything to him.

He went to sleep easily he was hoping he'd be the first to wake up to get rid of the girl before Matt would find her. Though he suspected it'd be easy since Matt just got a new game, Mello was surprised the game was a year old and he wondered why Matt had taken so long to get it. But he didn't feel like asking Matt since the conversation would contain mostly video gaming gibberish that Mello could not decipher.

* * *

><p>Author's Rambling Space:<p>

I started writing this a long time ago, but have been swinging back and forth between posting it. I really love the story and the mystery character whose identity will be revealed! But I wasn't quite sure how people would react, if you found this sad I swear it gets better!

Thank you for reading!

I Do Not Own Death Note

If I did Matt and Mello would have lived... just saying


	2. Chapter 2: Breakfast

**Chapter 2- Breakfast**

However, the next morning it wasn't Mello who woke up first it was Matt. He'd gotten stuck on the new level in his game and decided it'd be best to grab some food before retrying the boss battle; gaming was always hard on an empty stomach. As he padded over to the kitchen he heard shifting, he turned around to face the couch.

From what he could remember last night he distinctly heard Mello's door closing last night meaning he was in his room and Matt didn't hear him get up either so it means there was someone else in the apartment.

He changed course to walk over to the couch he peeked over the back, and he came to see a very familiar face. It was Blake Rossi daughter of the former gangster Boss Rossi and for a while there she was their hostage along with a handful of her classmates. She was sleeping on their couch, Matt thought back to last night he may have heard Mello speaking with someone but he wasn't sure since he had the volume on his game cranked up.

He looked back to her face, she had lost weight her skin tight over her features and that healthy glow she had was gone she looked pale and sallow now. There were dark circles under her eyes, he also noted the split lip. Matt thought back, Blake had been the last one released because she had no monetary value. In fact they didn't let her go so as much as watch as the mafia left her for dead in a back alley. It was a broken version of the girl he knew.

He sighed, so at least she lived but he could only imagine the repercussions on her life. He recalled her saying she was looking after her younger siblings no doubt they were gone, Matt also recalled all the news footage and the accusations that she was involved with the kidnappings because of her father. She had probably lost her scholarship to her high school and was now left scrambling to get a job.

She shifted again and slowly opened her eyes, she sat up and rubbed at them before glancing around, Matt watched as panic set in and she glanced around the unfamiliar setting. She twisted and saw his face yelping and falling back off the couch. She slammed her head hard against the ground and sat up rubbing her sore spot.

"Hey." Matt greeted waving his hand in a pathetic attempt at a friendly wave, "Guess you recognized my face… what are you doing here?" he asked.

She eyes darted away from him focusing on the far wall, "Mello took me in last night."

"Did he rec-" Matt started.

"No he didn't recognize me, at least I don't think so. And I recognize both of you…" she trailed off her eyes fixating on the ground in front of her, "I don't even know why I let him bring me along, I was just so scared when I…" she trailed off looking up to meet his green eyes.

Matt shrugged and pulled out his new game booting the system up, he began playing it and Blake watched him blankly. She sighed and rolled her eyes she kicked an empty cereal box on the ground aside and muttered to herself about the state of the apartment.

She watched him as he stared fixatedly at the screen rapidly punching buttons, she noticed he got increasingly anxious as the game went on. She listened to the music of the game it was a familiar song her brother Tony had that game, she watched as Matt got more intense with his game pressing the buttons faster and more aggressively, the music that the game was lost played.

He cursed, she offered her hand out to him, "I can beat that boss for you." She offered.

He glanced up at her confused and pulled the game towards him protectively, "I've beaten that game before for my brother, hand it over for thirty seconds." He glanced at her suspiciously from behind his goggles and reluctantly handed the game system over.

He heard the music restart from the beginning of the fight sequence, he couldn't see the screen but he could see her. She concentrated on the screen he noticed that when she concentrated her tongue just poked out of the corner of her mouth and she scrunched her nose up slightly. He watched her punch buttons, her combo and button hitting skills were far below his own. He could tell she wasn't extremely skilled at gaming but suddenly the music announcing the battle had been a success played.

"Done." She stated and handed it back to him as if she were finishing a chore, he stared at the screen in disbelief at what she had done. In fact it was almost record time that she had done it, "What I told you I'd beat the boss, did I take too long or something?" she asked him, and then sighed, "I never understood you gamers."

"How'd you do that?" he asked her still locked in disbelief.

"The boss has a four move pattern don't tell me you didn't notice." She stated back to him.

He frowned, "There's no way it's a four move pattern, because he doesn't repeat the same four moves." He replied.

"But the four moves he uses are those that his underlings used before the boss battles. He starts off with how the skeletons attack and then the ghouls though it was the ghoul fight sequence in reverse. Then he used that last four moves of the dragons' six move sequence and repeats the two move sequence of the sludge monsters." She explained.

"No way, I would've have noticed that. You're kidding me it was so childishly simply, you gotta to show me." He said and for once in his life willingly pushed his game into another's hands to watch them play.

She looked up at him in disbelief, "You sure? Everything you've done for the past few minutes we've been talking will be deleted so I can redo the battle." She reminded him, he leaned against the back of the couch.

"Don't care just play the damn game." He stated she turned putting her back against the couch, he leaned over her shoulder and watched as she shut the game off and turned it back on. The game started and she made her way to the boss battle, "Skeleton sequence." She stated and he grunted in response he had noted that much, "And now the ghouls." She said as she rolled to dodge the attack in the game, he watched the combo attacks and the attacks in general that she used they were all the simple attacks that inexperienced gamers would use yet she was defeating the boss easily. He did notice now that it was the ghoul sequence in reverse.

She beat the boss faster than before, it was just starting the dragon attack sequence when Matt heard footsteps from down the hall. He turned and saw Mello, "Can we keep the cute girl?" he asked grabbing onto Blake and wrapping his arms around her. She gasped and jumped in surprise almost dropping Matt's game in the processes. She caught it knowing that it would not go over well if she dropped it.

Mello blinked at Matt, "What the hell?" he asked.

"I'm getting tired of only staring at a pretty girl, can we keep this one?" Matt asked.

"No she's going home today." Mello stated walking over to the kitchen, he began rooting around the cabinets and snatched a bar of chocolate.

"You're not seriously having that for breakfast are you?" Blake asked suddenly speaking up and staring at Mello who froze half way through opening the wrapper.

"Yes." Mello replied.

Blake pulled Matt's arms off of her, "Sheesh, you can't just go about eating chocolate you know, if you two are so smart can't you cook yourselves breakfast." She stated, Mello frowned getting irritated he ripped the wrapper off and was about to lick his precious chocolate when it was snatched out of his hands.

"I'm making you a proper breakfast." The girl stated angrily at him as if she was his mother scolding him like a child. He in response slapped her, not very hard her head didn't even turn. But hard enough her cheek turned red and the slap cracked. Her face didn't change, "I'm making you breakfast for last night."

Matt opened his mouth to ask what exactly it was that happened last night but closed it as he watched the girl push Mello out of the kitchen area while at the same time kicking garbage out of it, "Take it as a thank you."

"I want my chocolate!" Mello demanded angrily.

"I'm going to use it so don't get your panties in a knot blondie. You're going to get you chocolate back so just sit down and be quite." She continued in that irritated mother tone. Somewhat stunned by her response the two owners of the apartment watched her as she determinedly sorted through the kitchen snatching what she needed. She pulled out milk, eggs and bread which was not surprising considering that she was making breakfast. Then she grabbed the chocolate milk syrup, Nutella and strawberries which caused Matt and Mello to glance at each other confused. She pulled out a hair elastic from her jean pocket and tied her long hair up behind her head while withdrawing several bowls, plates and other cooking tools.

She poured a precise amount of milk into a clean bowl she somehow produced. She expertly cracked two eggs into the milk and whisked the mixture up, she turned her attention to the Nutella for a second grabbing a spoon she shoveled it into a microwaveable bowl and put it into the microwaved before turning her attention back to the milk and egg mixture.

She then poured the chocolate milk syrup into the mixture, Mello watched hungrily as the yellow mixture turned a chocolaty brown. She set the bowl down next to the stove top, placing a skillet on one of the burners and dumping a generous amount of butter on it to melt.

The microwaved beeped and she withdrew the bowl of liquefied Nutella, she pulled out a large pan and frowned at it noticing that it was dirty. They watched her as she gave it a quick wash and dry setting it down next to the Nutella, she began dipping the strawberries into the Nutella and placing them on the pan to dry, frequently glancing back at the skillet with butter.

She turned her back to them to work on the skillet snatching the bread and dipping it into the mixture she created and setting the bread down on the skillet. Matt nodded in understanding, French toast… chocolate French toast that is. Mello cautiously approached the chocolate covered strawberries left to dry he reached forwards for one only to have his hand smacked with a spatula.

"Not until it is on the plate can you touch it." The girl who Mello still didn't recognize chastised him, rubbing his hand he backed up to stand next to Matt.

"I let a demon into my house." Mello whined to Matt.

"Do you honestly not recognize her?" Matt asked Mello in a whispered breath hoping the girl across from them couldn't hear.

"No should I?" he asked Matt.

Matt sighed, "It's Blake Rossi, remember the mafia took her and some of her classmates hostage for ransom. We watched as they left her for dead." Mello blinked confused, "I know I thought she died too, guess no one knows she lived."

"Anonymous 911 call." Mello muttered in response, Matt hmmed hoping for Mello to elaborate but he did not. Blake, as Mello now realised was the girl in front of him was now placing slices of the French toast on the plate. It did not have that usual golden appearance of French toast, in fact it looked like burnt French toast. But it did not smell burnt… it smelt chocolaty much to Mello's delight.

She then began to place the strawberries on the side and snatched the chocolate syrup squirting it over the three plates of breakfast food. She glanced over at the chocolate bar and snatched a cheese grater and began shredding Mello's bar in front of him ceremoniously over the French toast.

"Viola." She stated when she was content with the plates' appearance, "breakfast, I would've have made bacon but there was none and I doubt that you'd eat eggs unless I found some weird way to involve chocolate." She said as she pointed at Mello who frowned in response. She pushed the plates towards them.

"Cute and cooks… Mello can we keep her again?" Matt asked as he snatched his plate to himself and made his way to his bedroom.

"No she's going back to wherever it is she came from, she's a distraction." Mello growled in response, "You know I can't be distracted what if N-" he started but was interrupted by Matt.

"Yeah, yeah I know, leave me alone I'm off break now and back to watching the surveillance cams." Matt said as he closed his door behind him.

Mello turned to grab his plate to be meet by an irritated Blake, "You know I was right there, the entire time. I'm not some lost kitten or something and I didn't ask to be taken here. You kidnapped me a second time." She remarked as she shook out her ponytail flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"Technically the mafia kidnapped you and we were just with them at the time, and you were taken by accident." Mello snapped in response, "Anyways I'm not taking some girl back home to be abused by her dad."

"It wasn't my dad… Kira killed him and the second one killed my sister." Blake responded as she slowly dragged her plate over to her, she poked it with her fork as if she just lost her appetite, she looked at Mello and sighed, "If you really _have _to know which I quite frankly don't understand because… well just because. It was my boss, we had a _misunderstanding_ over what my job description called for when dealing with customers."

Mello opened his mouth to say something, "Eat your breakfast." Blake snapped at him again taking on the tone of an angry mother and glared at him until he ate.

"I'm not your stupid little brother." He muttered under his breathe.

"I heard that, and judging from the state of this place it looks like you do need to be treated like him. It's disgusting candy wrappers, empty cereal boxes, take out boxes and look at the kitchen." She remarked back at him and he frowned having been caught.

"The kitchen wouldn't be half as dirty if you didn't use it." Mello countered.

"Really? I made that much of a mess?" Blake jutted her finger over at the stack of dirty dishes that suddenly looked like a looming mountain to Mello.

"Eat your meal." Mello replied using her own words against her, she scolded him but complied eating the meal. Mello watched as she devoured it hungrily, judging from her appearance she hadn't been eating well lately. Though he devoured the meal just as unrefined as her because of all the chocolate, he had to admit she had done a superb job with the chocolate French toast.

"How'd you know to use the Nutella and syrup like that?" Mello asked her licking the remaining chocolate off of his fingers.

"You have to find sneaky ways into getting kids to eat fruits, and as for the syrup it was actually more of a mistake then a plan when it happened but once I did it Tony kept asking for it. I could probably write a book on one hundred and one unconventional cooking techniques with Nutella." Blake said taking their dirty plates from them, "You can make smores, just smear some Nutella on the graham cracker stick a marshmallow on it and nuke it for thirty seconds."

"And you know this because…" Mello said sarcastically.

Blake grinned at him, "Kids wanted to go camping, couldn't take them of course so I made tents out of blankets and the microwave was our bonfire." Mello nodded, _that's right_ he recalled _she refers to her younger siblings as if they were her own children rather than siblings_.

He cleared his throat, "So how are they doing?" he asked.

She looked to the ground, Mello noticed that her jaw and hands clenched before she shook herself off to respond, "They were uh-taken. Protective services said I was too young and irresponsible, I have no idea where they are… I haven't seen them since the day I was kidnapped." She paused and sighed, "I think it's better that way, I was a crappy older sister anyways."

"Well, I'm guessing you want to be going home now." He said to change the topic, he grabbed his leather jacket and threw it on.

"One moment please." Blake said pushing away from the island to walk over to Matt's room, she knocked on the door she leaned in and Mello could hear an exchange occur but not what was being said.

Matt's head poked out, "She waits on me hand and foot, now I really want to keep her." He called out sarcastically, "While I play my games she could bring me all of my meals and massage my shoulders."

Blake reappeared his dirtied dishes not just the breakfast ones in hand frowning and shaking her head she did not appear to agree with Matt's idea. She stalked over to the kitchen and after a minute's search found a safe place to put the new addition to the growing pile of dirtied dishes.

Mello tossed Blake's jackets over to her and she caught them with ease sliding them on over her head, "Where do you live?" Mello asked.

"Just drop me off near the train station, it'll be fine from there." Blake answered waving her hand dismissively.

"I'm not dropping you off at some station after you tried to throw yourself off a bridge like an idiot." Mello snapped not really sure where the anger was coming from it's not like he knew Blake all that well.

"Drop me off at the station!" Blake shouted in response.

Mello growled and snatched his gun aiming it in her face, she gasped and stepped back, "If you don't tell me where the heck it is you live I'll be hurling you off the damn bridge myself!" he threatened.

Instead of backing away terrified like he expected she growled and rushed at him smacking the gun aside, "I told you that I don't want to die anymore! It was a moment of weakness and I'm fine so don't go around pointing that damn thing in my face or so help me I'll-" she started trying to threaten him but he saw the hesitance in her eyes she wasn't willing to shoot him herself, "I'll-" she said still trying to threaten him.

He smirked "You'll what?" he asked her tauntingly, she threw her hands up into the air storming off towards the front door violently kicking an empty cereal box. It slammed roughly into the wall before sliding down, Mello still smirking recalled the last time he'd seen Blake with a gun pointed in her face. She lost her temper almost as badly as he did and she was willing to use reckless tactics to win.

"Are we going or not?" she angrily demanded him.

He rolled his eyes and wrenched the door open, she pushed past him stomping over to the elevator and repeatedly mashing the button. She was fuming as she did so and Mello snorting through his nose was no better. They rode in angry silence to the parking garage.

Mello was the first out of the elevator stomping over to his bike, he snatched the helmet and hurled it at Blake hoping to hit her. She caught it to his displeasure and flicked her hair over her shoulder and pulled the helmet on. She pulled the straps on tightly and crossed her arms.

"I live not even five minutes from the station, just drop me off there." She insisted.

Mello whipped out his gun and brandished it before her, "Fine then you'll drop me off at the complex but that's as far as you go. You step one foot over the threshold and I snap understood. And don't even think of using that little toy of yours you don't have sway where I live it's outside of your territory Mafia boss." She spat.

"Toy? You think this is a toy?" he barked and cocked the gun, he pointed it at her directly at her forehead.

She clenched her jaw forcing herself not to flinch, she smirked before responding, "If you just wave it around uselessly then it's nothing better than a toy chocolate boy."

He fired it and she jumped startled the bullet hit the wall just over her shoulder, "What was that about waving it around uselessly?" he asked her grinning wickedly she glared at him the look venomous, "Now get on the damn bike already."

Mello was somewhat angry as he drove his bike, sure Blake was forced to hold onto him but it wasn't like last time. She wasn't petrified and screaming in terror to his entertainment, in fact she was barley holding onto his jacket she adjusted too fast to the bike. As the wind whipped past them she shouted out directions and turns. She didn't give street names only telling him when to turn.

And to Mello's dislike he was too focused on weaving in and around traffic to pay full attention to street names. They stopped in front of the apartment building, it was like how he imagined shady, affordable for a girl kicked out of high school and struggling to hold down work.

Blake turned around to face Mello bowing at the waist, unusual for a westerner, "Thank you for everything." She stated and turned on her heel.

"Hey my helmet idiot, I want it back!" he shouted after her, she pulled it off and flung it over her shoulder. It arced through the air and he caught it easily. She pulled out a key from the depths of her pockets letting herself into the building, she turned around once the doors closed and stared at Mello. He stared back at her waiting for her to leave. She waved her hands at him and mouthed something at him, _Get Lost. _

He frowned, he couldn't identify what exactly it was but he didn't want to go. It was hard enough to leave her last time, he recalled her laying on the ground her skin turning deathly pale shallow breathes and chest heaving with fright and exertion. Dark red pouring out all around her, her ebony hair splayed out all around her from falling onto the dirtied ash fault and her eyes rolling in fear before locking onto him and pleading. Pleading for a quicker death, she wouldn't stoop low enough to look at him for help, she was like him not wanting to admit defeat. He recalled as he watched the light fade from her eyes pulling out his cellphone and punching three digits he never thought he'd ever punch into his phone.

He didn't know what it was that made him do it, pity for someone dying a pitiful and sad death? Was it mercy because she was an innocent who didn't deserve to die at the hands of a criminal? Was it respect because she was so similar to himself? He grit his teeth, he saved her life once for a reason he did not know what the reason was but what he did know was that he didn't want the effort he put into saving her life to go to waste. He took off on his bike glancing over his shoulder to see her disappear into the building.

Content that she wasn't going to check for him again he circled back and approached the doors, he glanced them over, graffiti covered them. Most of it was identifiers of the criminals living in the neighbourhood Mello all too familiar with the meanings of them. He didn't know why she bothered with the formality of the keys, there was a hole punched through the glass door allowing anyone to reach through and unlock the doors.

He unlocked them and stepped into the lobby easily, he went over to the elevator. To his luck she was still riding and the elevator displayed the floor numbers she passed before pausing on one number in particular 8, _so she was on the eighth floor huh? _He remarked to himself pressing the elevator button, he got in. It reeked of urine and obscene scrawling decorated the elevator, scribbling placed by young idiots. Scrunching his nose in disgust he pressed the button for his desired floor, the ride went faster than he expected. He stepped off and glanced to his right to look down the hall before turning to the left.

He just caught Blake's figure disappearing into an apartment. He stalked down the hall quietly, he was just going to check on the condition of the apartment that was it, he was going to stop there. After all it's not like he cared about her, it was just the fact that he wanted to see that what he had done had paid off. He didn't save her for nothing.

He froze as he came to a stop in front of the door, it was apparent there had been a forced entry. The numbers on the door were barley clinging to it and the lock and handle were twisted at an odd angle. He wondered for a moment how she managed to get the door to close. He pushed on it and something toppled over before it swung open, she had pushed her plastic garbage can in front of it.

"Who's there I'm busy right now come back later?" Blake asked and Mello glanced around trying to identify where Blake was before spotting her feet behind a blanket hung off the wall as a makeshift room divider. Her head peeked around the corner, "What the heck do you think you're doing get out!" she growled at him her cheeks flushing red and disappearing back behind the curtain.

"Well it's not like your security system was going to keep anyone out." He responded kicking the garbage can at her, she in response threw the shirt she was wearing at his apartment in his face.

"I said get the heck out!" she barked at him. Ripping the curtain down wearing a new outfit, "I was going to fix the door after I got changed." Mello noted that she pushed her mattress to be behind where the curtain was, twisted sheets lay on it as well as an assortment of clothes an unusually messy arrangement for Blake.

"Wouldn't it be wiser to get changed after you get a better security system?" Mello responded as he pushed his way further into the apartment.

"Wouldn't it have been wise of me not to sleep in my kidnapper's apartment last night?" she chirped at him, "Now get out I have cleaning to do." Mello then took the time to glance over the apartment, besides the bathroom it was one room. He could tell that at one time it was neatly organised into three areas a living area, a bedroom and a tiny kitchenette. But it was now in chaos, the cabinets in the kitchen were all thrown open their contents thrown everywhere the majority smashed, dented or in one way or another damaged.

The cheap couch and bed as well as the cushions were all torn or slashed open their innards strewn around them. Her clothes were all over the floor as well as smashed and torn photos. There was a bookshelf, a small crooked one with duct tape holding it together, all around it were books tossed onto the floor with their pages littering the floor.

"Looks like you could do with some help." He sarcastically grinned.

"Looks like someone could do with better listening skills." She chided him, "Now get out!" she shrieked hurling a torn pillow at him, he snatched it out of the air and dropped it on the ground.

"You can't stay here." Mello stated folding his arms over his chest.

"Well I have been for months now, it's safe here." Blake insisted as she kicked aside a crumpled pair of pants.

"Was it safe before or after your boss paid you a visit might I ask?" Mello challenged.

Blake stomped her foot twirling away from him and stomping angrily over to her window, "Why do you even care?! I'm not Kira, I'm not some mafia connection, I'm not even worth kidnapping. Just leave me alone haven't you screwed with my life enough!" She ranted.

She whirled around to face him tears in her eyes, she breathed raggedly trying to hold them back, "Just leave me alone or shoot me already for God's sake!"

"It'd be a waste." Mello replied quietly.

Blake blinked her thin brows scrunching together, "What would be a waste?" she asked him.

"The effort I went to getting you help would go to waste. I saved your damn life you know, you could at least be a bit more grateful to me." Mello replied to her.

She looked at him confused he could see in her eyes her trying to work out what it was that he just said, "What do you-what?" she stopped in her train of thoughts and glanced up at him, "Are you telling me that it was you who- no it couldn't be. You mean you-" she said coming to the conclusion. But before she could finish Mello strode over to her. She frowned and went to say something but she was too slow, Mello grabbed her around the waist and tossed her over his shoulder.

"Shut up before I regret making the damn call." He said and turned around marching to the door, she was lighter than he expected. But then again Blake was never what he had expected so what was the point.

"What do you think you're doing? Put me down!" she demanded kicking, but it was futile the way he grabbed her she couldn't kick him, "Put me down!" she continued.

"Shut up." He responded trying to keep himself calm, he flinched as she shrieked the sound grating on his ears, "I'll give you a job." He stated and Blake paused mid-tantrum, "I'll give you a job."

She snorted, "What drug runs? Weapon deals?" she questioned, "I'm not joining your mafia if that's what you think, you're no knight in shining armour you know." She remarked, Mello shifted his grip on her and got smacked hard on the hand, "No way are you going to touch my butt, I'm not my sister." She spat.

"Cleaning lady." Mello growled.

"What?" she demanded in her confusion.

"You said it yourself, my headquarters are a mess I need a cleaning lady. You also said that I don't eat well enough I need a cook. You're experienced in cleaning and cooking. You'll be my personal…" he trailed off not sure how to finish the sentence.

"Heck no, I'm not being a maid!" she yelled as he pressed the button for the elevator.

He smirked, "Don't worry, I won't make you wear the dress, your butt's too big anyways."

* * *

><p>I Do Not Own Death Note or any of it's characters<p> 


	3. Chapter 3: I'm Not Your Maid Well Maybe

**Chapter Three I'm Not Your Maid Well Maybe I Am**

Mello confidently strides off the elevator a smug look plastered on his face, "Was it really necessary to carry me like this all the way here?!" Blake exclaimed once again thrown over Mello's shoulder, "I agreed to be your maid put me down!"

"No." Mello stated.

"No? Why not?" Blake demanded trying to twist and look at Mello's face only to see his blonde head from behind.

He grinned, "Because it annoys the heck out of you." Mello continued onto the door to his apartment and opened it Blake still over his shoulder and complaining. Mello kicked the door shut behind him.

"Put me down already!" she yelled only half-heartedly now.

Matt hearing all the noise poked his head out of his room, "What is with all the racket Mello I thought you had-" he started and then blinked confused at Blake, "I know I said I wanted to keep her but you didn't have to kidnap her… well you know a second time." Matt said.

"I'm not" Blake started as Mello started with "She's not" the two paused and looked at each other before looking back at Matt, "It's not a kidnapping." They looked back at one another and glared.

Mello set Blake down on her feet, she jumped away from him and began brushing herself off, "I couldn't focus because of all the mess so I hired a maid."

Matt grinned, "Ohhh cute girl for a maid. Can she wear a-" Matt started.

"No dress." Mello and Blake said together in synch.

Matt frowned, "But it'd be so nice if-"

"If you wear the dress first?" Blake asked him, Matt sighed and waved his hand dismissively at her disappearing back into his room. Blake grinned and nodded her head, "That's right."

"Get started I have work to do." Mello said after allowing the girl one minute to bask in the glory of embarrassing Matt.

Blake jokingly saluted grinning, "Yes sir Mafia boss sir."

Mello sighed and shook his head out, "Shut up and go to work Rossi." It was Blake's turn to sigh rolling up the non-existent sleeves of her t-shirt, Mello supposing it was a habit of hers, she walked over to the sink and began pulling the dirty dishes out of it to make way for her cleaning.

Mello trotted down the hall first checking in on Matt to see him watching his multiple screens at once before continuing down the hall to his room. He went in and somehow found a chocolate bar he overlooked, gnawing away at it he reviewed the last documents sent to his apartment regarding Kira.

He didn't remerge from his room until it was late, glancing at the clock it was nine at night. Sighing he decided to see what progress Matt and Blake had made. He checked in on Matt who was still watching the screens diligently.

Matt glanced at him, "Finally I've been wanting to get back to my games forever now." He sighed exhaustedly. He sat up stiffly from his chair and trotted over to Mello the two then went to find Blake. They gaped at what she had done, it was only the kitchen area that she had cleaned. But it had been so dirty and it was now so clean, the boys had only seen it that clean when they first moved into the place. The majority of the clean dishes had already been safely tucked away into their cabinet but a few sat out drying on the rack. The floor as well as the counters were wiped clean and were shinning, they glanced around to find Blake on her hands and knees with a towel in hand scrubbing at the floor.

She was wiping at her forehead and completely focused at the task at hand. She had scrubbed it so well that her own face was reflected back at her. She had actually rolled the sleeves of her t-shirt up in order to scrub. She didn't look like the Blake from yesterday, she looked like the Blake Rossi that they kidnapped what seemed like eons ago.

She was back to her easily angered, over competitive self, a girl with a quick mouth and a smart head on her shoulders. She may not be as smart as Mello or Matt, but she could've survived Whammy's even done well there.

"Blake? Blake!" Matt called out to the girl trying to get her attention, he had to call her name twice more before she paused to look up at him, he grinned, "You're dismissed for today."

She stood up rolling her shoulders and swiping her arm across her forehead, she looked at them and smiled, "Well that was an interesting first day."

"Mmm, get me some chocolate." Mello ordered her.

Both Matt and Blake blinked and stared at him, "What the- I'm not your maid… well maybe I am but still!" she yelled exasperated her hair wispy around her face from working, Mello stared at her expressionlessly, "That's a ridiculous demand." She clarified.

Mello shrugged, "We could always tie you up like the first time we kidnapped you." He answered.

"For the love of Kira, I am not kidnapped right now! Sheesh I'll just go by the damn chocolate!" she yelled and stormed off towards the door throwing her arms in the air before yanking the door open.

Matt snickered, "She's cute when you get her angry, when she's angry at me it's just flat out scary." He remarked, "Hey did you give her any money by the way because otherwise she can't buy the chocolate." He added.

Mello glanced over at Matt and then sprinted down the hall, the elevator doors were closing and Blake was standing in it staring at the ceiling lost in thought. She noticed him running down the hall towards her, she waved and gave him an evil smirk. The second before the doors closed he saw her tug out her empty pant pockets, she had known she had no money.

He yelled and kicked at the door before repeatedly punching the button to summon the other elevator, he waited impatiently and when his patience had evaporated he took the stairs. He flew down them barley counting the large leaps he was making, his hair was blasted back from his face and it didn't take long for him to break into a sweat.

Panting and exhausted his feet finally hit the ground floor and he took off sprinting. Blake was waiting patiently by the doors for him. She was smiling and telling someone passing by to have a nice day. She noticed him and smiled innocently at him as if she wasn't in trouble.

He opened his mouth about to yell but thought better of it and slammed his mouth shut, he strode over to Blake and caught her by the elbow towing her along outside. They walked at a brisk pace in silence to a nearby corner store. Blake snatched one of the plastic shopping baskets and swung it freely in her hand.

Matt noticed that she quietly hummed to herself, it wasn't hard to picture her grocery shopping like she was a single mother. She got in front of the candy bar display and started taking bars off by the handful organising them by brand and type in the basket. Mello watched.

"You know I don't want just any old chocolate bar." He remarked.

She raised one of her thin brows at him quizzically a smile touching her lips, a bright light entered her eyes, "Is that so Mr. Fussy Pants?" she asked him tauntingly, "Guess you'll just have to get them yourself then." She sighed and reached behind her to pass the basket at him.

He snorted and pushed it back at her stepping forwards, he leaned over her shoulder and snatched the bars he wanted apathetic to whether or not he cleared the stand filling the basket to the brim. It was only at the end he realised exactly how close he had gotten, he was literally pressed up against her back and Blake had nowhere to move because the display was next to the wall, she was right in front of the display and his arm blocked the only means of an escape.

He stepped back wanting to get some of his personal space back and he could see that Blake relaxed she must have tensed up when he had gotten so close. They trotted in unintentional synchronization to the cashier. Blake unceremoniously dumped the contents of the basket out on the small conveyer belt. She however then began trying to organise the mess of bars out for the cashier that was blinking in confusion at their purchase. Mello had come in before buying large amounts of chocolate but he'd never gotten _this much _before. He laughed as Blake futilely tried to organise them out. The cashier also tried to sort them but in the end he sighed and insisted on simply scanning every bar, Blake determinedly continued on.

Mello noted like Matt had earlier that when she concentrated that her nose scrunched up the slightest bit and that her tongue stuck out from the corner of her mouth. She also kept swiping her hair back over her shoulder to stay out of her face.

After several long minutes the team of the cashier and Blake managed to get through all of the chocolate bars, Blake glanced up at the price and gasped staring at Mello like he was insane. Mello shrugged and easily handed the money over to the cashier. He and Blake grabbed two bags each and walked back to the apartment building.

Mello immediately withdrew a bar and began to lick it greedily rolling his eyes over the taste in his mouth, Blake watched him savour the bar. Mello looked over at her with the bar in mouth and said, "What are you looking at?" though it was garbled.

Blake glanced away blushing, "Nothing." She mumbled in response shifting uncomfortably.

They rode the elevator up together, "Hey um… Mello? Where am I sleeping?" she asked him quietly.

Mello paused in his step he hadn't actually thought of that working on the Kira case was his priority all day and he was not allowing distractions, "I _am not _let me repeat that _not _sleeping on the couch again. If that's the case I'm going home-" she said and started to turn around but Mello snatched her arm.

"No." he stated unintentionally sounding very childish when he did. She stared at him confused, she let her hand slide down into his and grabbed it squeezing reassuringly.

"Well~" she started smiling at him, he looked at that smile and had a sense of foreboding over what was about to come out of her mouth, "I'll stay if you sleep on the couch and I get your bed." She offered.

It was his turn to smile maliciously, "Oh you can get my bed alright-but I'm sleeping in it too-" he started but she smacked him and smacked him hard.

"I'm going home!" she yelled and started to stomp off for the stairs, "Here have your stupid chocolate!" she yelled as she threw the bags at his face. He only just moved to the side in time snatching one but the other slammed into the wall.

Mello glanced back and forth between the chocolate and Blake, he shrugged and turned on his heel going back to the apartment. He opened the door and to his surprise he found Matt sitting on the couch expectantly. He wasn't staring at the door, but he was sitting on the couch as close to the door as he could. He paused his game to glance up at Mello.

"Hey where's the cutie?" Matt asked and Mello stared at him, "You know Blake?"

"She wanted to go home so I let her go." Mello replied shrugging and tossing his chocolate onto the kitchen counter, it spilled everywhere. He immediately snatched a bar he was going to have to call someone in the morning to deliver groceries this was cutting too much time out of his day.

"Mello! You can't just let a girl walk home on her own like that!" Matt shouted and dashed out of the room actually tucking his gaming console away into his pocket. Mello stared after his friend in confusion.

Matt dashed down the hall seeing the doors to the stairs still shutting, he swung the door wide open and could hear Blake's feet as they plunked down the stairs. He dashed down after her and grabbed her by the arm.

"Leave me alone Mello!" she yelled trying to pull away. She turned and saw Matt, "Oh I'm sorry I didn't mean to."

"It's alright. You shouldn't be walking alone at this time-especially here. It may look nice but there's a lot of mafia connections around it wouldn't go over well." Matt insisted.

"It's fine I want to walk alone and clear my head." Blake answered honestly.

"You do know it's raining outside now right?" Matt asked her.

"It is?" she responded glancing around for a window but there was none in the stair well, "I love walking in the rain." She mumbled and then glanced at Matt blushing bright red embarrassedly, "Oh my gosh! Not in like a romantic way that came out wrong, I like the rain that's it okay? I didn't mean and it just came out."

Matt laughed, he doubled over in laughter and had to lift his goggles to swipe at the corner of his eye, he eventually straightened up and managed to stop laughing, "By the way why are you going home?"

Blake stared at him and answered bluntly, "Because I don't want to sleep on the couch."

"Well, you could have my room but for tonight only, we'll figure out sleeping arrangements later." He offered.

Blake blinked at how out of character Matt seemed, she knit her brows together and glanced at his suspiciously, "You're not tricking me into something are you?" she asked him.

"Well maybe playing some video games with me is all, Mello doesn't want to play he says it's a distraction from Kira." Matt answered teasingly.

Blake smirked, "I'll warn you now that I'm probably going to screw up all of your scores because I can't play worth a dime."

Matt grinned excited, in his excitement he scooped Blake up she yelped in surprise as her feet flew into the air. He had flipped her head over heels literally, they got back to the apartment in a matter of seconds. Matt kicked the door open and let Blake down and she jumped away from him so he couldn't grab her a second time.

"Matt I can walk you know." She laughed breathlessly still wrapped up in the excitement and eagerness that was coming off of Matt at the prospect at playing video games.

"What the hell?" Mello asked from the couch watching the two suspiciously a chocolate bar in hand several wrappers littering the floor.

"I'm playing video games with Matt." Blake answered breathlessly.

Matt snatched her hand then finished with locking the door, he then dragged Blake along who stumbled over her own feet in her attempt to keep up with him. What Blake didn't see was that Matt stuck his tongue out childishly at Mello as they passed him. Matt slammed his door behind them causing Blake to jump.

Matt noted the skittishness, perhaps locking himself in a dark room alone with a girl was not the best way to make her comfortable, "Sorry 'bout that, Mello gets mad at the noise."

"What doesn't Mello get mad at?" Blake snorted rolling her eyes and crossing her arms over her chest.

"Well, he's short tempered and emotional but you seem to set his teeth on edge more than usual." Matt laughed.

Blake blinked at him, "Really wonder why that is?" she asked him.

But Matt had already turned his back to her tossing games left and right searching for one he wanted to play. He finally found one and slipped it into the system turning it on and flying onto his gaming couch, in one hand he snatched up the controller and in the other he patted the seat next to him.

Hesitantly Blake walked over and sat down next to him, when she sat down she squirmed uncomfortably, there was something in the couch. Shifting she pulled out a remote she had sat on by accident, she pulled it in front of her but in the dark room it was difficult to find where the power switch was. As the television flickered she found the button and pressed it.

"Okay, I'm going to start the game now." Matt informed her as he rapidly punched buttons, Blake soon found herself trying to keep up with Matt playing. She strained her eyes and leaned forwards on the couch trying to get closer to the screen. As both of them got into the game they moved and shifted eagerly with the game, they yelled at each other and at the game equally. They played for hours switching between games infrequently.

Matt noticed that despite her stating she was wide awake that Blake was slowly falling asleep as they played. Her eyes continually dropped shut and her reaction timing was slowing rapidly but she remained insistent. After a while Matt chose to ignore her, that is until he heard a soft thud on the carpet and felt Blake lean against him.

He paused the game and glanced at her, she had fallen asleep completely. The controller had slipped from her fingers and she had fallen asleep on his shoulder. Her shoulders rose and fell slowly as she snored softly murmuring to herself. He sighed and shook his head, he wriggled his arm free from under her and she fell into his chest which he hadn't expected. He put his hand down and shook her shoulder gently.

"Blake, Blake you have to wake up." He whispered, "Blake, hey Blake." He called a little bit louder but she slept on undisturbed. He set the remote down gingerly and shifted trying not to wake Blake up, he managed to slip his arm under her and awkwardly carry her over to his bed thankful that he got one low to the ground so it was level with his television.

He set her down and she rolled away from him towards the middle of the bed, in her sleep she patted the spot next to her, "Tony it's late get sleep you have school in the morning… I have to talk to the teacher about your assignment." She mumbled.

Matt snickered and wandered back over to his couch, he sat down snatching the remote and was about to resume the game when he glanced back at Blake who was sound asleep. _I probably shouldn't play it'd wake her up _he chided himself but bit his lip he wanted to play. He shrugged and turned down the volume to play his game starting it up. Despite the bright light Blake slept suddenly, he glanced over his shoulder infrequently during game play, he supposed Blake simply hadn't slept soundly for a long amount of time. Considering that she had been kidnapped and then her life was destroyed it did make sense.

However, Matt eventually found he too was starting to drift off, not willing to face the wrath of Mello or Blake in the morning he somehow managed to drag himself to the couch in the living room and collapsed there. Blake had a point that couch wasn't comfortable but he was too tired to really care.

He awoke to the sound of the fridge being opened groaning he sat up, "What time is it?"

"Time for you to get back to work." A voice snapped, Matt glanced over the couch to be greeted by a frustrated Mello.

Matt shrugging stuck a cigarette in his mouth lighting it, "You know when I thought about getting a cute girl to sleep over… I never imagined it'd be a girl that was kidnapped by the mafia and I had to hold hostage, see her dying in front of me and the reappear when my best friend kidnaps her a second time." He paused, "Oh and I forgot to add she's also my maid… sort of." He added onto the end.

He trudged over to his room opening the door, Blake was still sleeping the sheets twisted around her legs from the way the bed looked she had rolled around a lot in her sleep. Her one arm was thrown over her forehead.

Matt stepped back out of his room to look at Mello, "I kind of feel like it'd be mean to wake her." She remarked.

Mello sighed rolling his eyes as he trudged over he pushed Matt in to the room and shot a quick glance at Blake, "Hey you wake up!" he barked unusually harsh even for Mello, Matt even winced.

Blake sat bolt up wide awake immediately, she glanced around and saw Matt and Mello. She squeaked and snatched the sheets at her feet pulling them up.

"I am so sorry I did not mean to sleep here!" she shouted in a rushed apology.

Matt waved his hand dismissively, "Damn right you should feel horrible. You slept in, get to work already." Mello snapped.

Blake nodded and climbed out of bed, she pushed past Matt and Mello pulling her hair up behind her into a pony tail, she paused, "Do you want me to make breakfast?" she asked.

"No!" Mello snapped again at her before Matt could answer. She nodded her head and slunk off heading to the closet that contained cleaning supplies that neither boy had bothered to use. She pulled out a broom and began to sweep all of the garbage tossed across the floor.

"I'm heading over to the base, I have to speak with the others." Mello grumbled, "Matt." He started ruffling his hair, "Watch the tapes." He ordered but as he walked past he whispered, "And watch her, I don't get why she trusts us so much."

Matt nodded withdrawing his hand held gaming console from his hand flicking it on playing the game immediately. Mello strode out of the apartment glancing sideways at Blake Rossi, this morning was so similar to the one in which he had met her.

When Mello had left Matt cleared his throat, "So… Blake do you remember that first day that we had met?" he asked her.

She paused from her sweeping, "How could I forget, pretty sure I got Stockholm syndrome from it considering that I'm here right now." She remarked.

Matt dropped the cigarette and smashed it under foot, "Hey I've got the security tapes from those weeks." He stated.

"I know where the popcorn is." She answered.

"I think I'm going to need to start a new cigarette." Matt remarked his memory as well as Blake's stretching back to a day that intertwined their lives.

* * *

><p>I Do Not Own Death Note or any of it's characters<p> 


	4. Chapter 4: Little Rich School Girls

**Chapter Pretty Little Rich School Girls**

It was like any other Wednesday for seventeen year old Blake, she got up made breakfast for her family. After eating she cleared the dishes and ironed the clothes for the day. She then got ready for the day herself washing her face, brushing her hair and teeth, getting dressed in her uniform. She then packed her bag and glanced around the house.

It wasn't a house so much as a cramped apartment with a single bedroom, it wasn't just the fact that it was cramped- it was also empty… that's how Blake described it in her head _empty. _There was a family, a disjointed fraction of one, Blake's mother died delivering her young sister Ella that was seven years ago. Then Boss, that was Blake's father-_solely by blood _she reminded herself, Boss Rossi who ran several crime operations throughout the city. He controlled over fifteen hundred men in his gang in the city alone, his power stretched far outside of the city. However, the notorious Boss Rossi had slipped up and five years ago and was arrested. Blake couldn't remember what it was that got him initially caught, she could however remember the various things her father was charged and found guilty of. She remembered being left on the doorstep of their house-their actual house with her one year old sister in her arms and her three year old brother clinging onto her. They had a house then, they had a life… they _had._

She was only twelve at the time, still a child herself and forced to attend the trials and speak with the police and other government workers. Her one saving grace-or so she had thought was her older sister, she thought for sure that she could rely on her sister Caprice. But her sister soon turned to the streets doing who knows what-Blake didn't bother to learn.

Her sister was in and out of the house frequently between arrests and releases or sometimes leaving for days on end. That left Blake with two siblings far younger than herself, for the sake of her younger siblings she took the role of their mother. Eventually they lost the house, but Blake's sister managed to find an apartment for them, she hung around for three more months before disappearing never to be heard from again, that was two years ago.

That was what made her house empty, there was a motherly figure but that was it-she was just a figure she wasn't their mother. Though that didn't stop weird looks on the street when her siblings called her mother, they were so young when all of this happened that neither remembered their parents only Blake being their parent for them. They called her mother mistakenly as small children too young to understand their mistake and the name just stuck, Tony when Blake picked him up at school always greeted her by shouting "Mom!" before running up and hugging her.

Blake did her best, she wasn't sure what happened to her sister-she knew it couldn't have been good she'd seen the looks on the street from people she knew at one time worked under her father. She heard what they called out to her when she was out alone on the streets and it was getting dark, she never stayed out after dark. Blake knew better, she knew she'd be snatched in a second probably dead within a week. It wasn't for her sake she kept safe, it was for Tony and Ella they needed her they'd never survive without her.

She was their sister, their mother, their father, their breadwinner. The money their mother left them was dwindling and the money that was left for them from their father was used by Blake's older sister. As soon as she could Blake got a job but her job could only do so much in terms of money. They were stretched from month to month, they coped in any way they could. Tony's shoes were more duct tape than shoe, Ella's newest dress was made from a curtain a neighbour was going to throw out. Blake couldn't remember the last time she bought something at full price, it was always things about to be thrown out and she usually used coupons on top of the mark downs.

Blake with the mindset of a single mother in her thirties constantly worried about the effects this would have on Tony and Ella, she was constantly eaten-no devoured by guilt by the fact she couldn't provide for them what they needed. She did everything in the house, the cooking, cleaning, bills.

However, despite the stress, the strain, the burden and the work Blake had proven to be an excellent student. She had a natural intelligence and one of the best memories her teacher's had ever seen, she could learn and memorise material at a pace far surpassing her peers. She was one of the top ranking students in the city, probably in the state Blake didn't care about the rankings though. The only reason she bothered with school was because an education meant a better job-she'd never get into a university she knew that much was just a dream. But she did plan on getting Tony and Ella through whether they wanted to or not-but she knew her siblings they'd want to go.

Blake sighed returning to the present, she was packing her brother's bag tucking his lunch into his front pocket a note tapped to it. Well, several notes, Blake reused the same piece of paper as many times as she could scrawling a new note on it every day. So when Tony opened his lunch he could read all the message's his sister had left for him; apparently it had started a trend in his class other mothers-actual mothers had started mimicking Blake.

"Tony you need to hurry the bus is leaving in five minutes!" Blake called as her younger brother toppled out of the bathroom, he had feathery windblown black hair like her own. But he had inherited their mother's beautiful bright blue eyes which Blake was jealous of she seemed to have only been born with her father's traits.

"I'm coming mom!" he yelled.

And Blake gave him the look, Tony called it the 'Mother knows best' look because it was given when he was being bad, Blake called it her 'behave look'. Tony rolled his eyes, "Blake I'm ready to go." He sighed. Yawning and rubbing her eyes, Ella padded over to Blake, she had their mother's beautiful soft flowing light brown hair and their father's coal black eyes.

"Tony hold your sister's hand." Blake ordered, Tony reached over and snatched his sister's hand, "'kay kids let's head out to school." Just like how her siblings called her mom, she had a tendency of calling them kids as if she were their mother.

They stepped out of the apartment and Blake took the moment to lock the door behind them, they went down the stairs together and walked to the city bus stop. Blake got them all on and paid for them together as a group. The bus drivers had long ago familiarized themselves with the Rossi's and always left at least two seats open for the small children. Blake walked them over to their seats. It was six fifty in the morning and the bus ride was thirty minutes long before they had to transfer and ride a second buss for another fifteen minutes.

Blake stood next to her siblings during the whole ride, she glanced down at them and smiled reassuringly. Ella stared out the window eagerly talking and pointing things out and Blake eagerly listened. Tony was listening but pulled out his notes from class, he was just as gifted as his sister. In fact he had skipped a grade. As Blake entertained Ella he studied the bus ride away. They eventually got to the school and Blake walked them over to their appropriate yards, first saying good bye to Tony then walking Ella by the hand to her yard.

"Bye Mommy!" Ella called waving at her sister as she went to see her friends her small battered and faded backpack that was once Blake's years and years ago slung over her back.

Blake smiled and waved back trying to look carefree and happy for her precious little sister. She then turned on her heel to catch the next bus to get to her school-her elite school. Blake couldn't believe her ears at first when she was told she'd be allowed to take the entrance exam to _José's School for Girls_ an extremely expensive and elite school in the city.

She wrote the entrance exam not expecting to do well, only to be ranked number one, she had scored the highest in the entrance exam's history. So instead of skipping a grade she chose to accept their offer-but only because they offered her an all-inclusive scholarship complete with school materials, uniform, tuition and even a meal plan.

It of course wasn't all for free, yes the school needed a certain number of scholarship students, and yes Blake's entrance exam story was excellent publicity. But she had to keep up her grades to stay, not only because it was required in the school rules but because of the publicity. The headmaster had sat Blake down and explained all the extra costs the school is covering for her will remain covered so as long as she keeps the school ranked number one in the city.

She was now the top ranked student in the school, everyone knew her everywhere she went-she was proud of her accomplishment but if Blake were honest she felt smothered by all the attention she would get. She wasn't the type to bask in being the center of attention, she'd rather be left to her own devices and ignored.

As she walked down the hall she felt a tap on the shoulder, "Bl~ake!" a high angelic voice chirped over her shoulder. Blake turned to see Elizabeth McGuire daughter of the third richest CEO in the entire state and one of the richest girls in the academy. She had become fast friends with Blake and the two were nearly inseparable when together. Elizabeth was one of those people who flourished in the spotlight and rather enjoyed being in it. The rumour mill frequently said that the only reason she hung around Blake was because of the attention it brought her, and Blake did suspect it at first. But despite their completely different personalities the two were extremely close.

Elizabeth was only slightly shorter that Blake with long curling golden hair and large bright green eyes, she had a faint splash of freckles across her nose. Elizabeth was a slightly above average student, but she wasn't one of the elite scoring students like Blake, however she was by far the most social girl in school and renowned for her tennis championship skills.

"Beth." Blake greeted breaking out a smile.

"Good morning." Elizabeth chirped and was suddenly flocked by six of her other friends. Elizabeth was the Queen bee at the school, she had been since ninth grade when the two of them first arrived at the school. Blake was always friendly with the girls who changed just as fast as Elizabeth changed wardrobes, but Blake never really got close enough to them to feel bad. She found the girls were shallow and cruel searching for fast ways to get popular fast, though there was always the occasional kind girl that Beth brought along they didn't tend to last long.

For instance there was Catherine Knight one of the few girls whose father's salary was close to Elizabeth's, she ran the majority of the charity drives that the school had and in fact that year started three new charity drives. There was also Monica Morris who flipped back and forth between being friends and enemies with Elizabeth, Blake remaining neutral among all the fights. If anything she was known as the level headed one in the group who never got into arguments and always had advice to share and a willing ear to listen.

The girls moved to the classroom together laughing and chatting, just as class was starting Catherine glanced over at Blake and smile, "So Blake you going to bring home the gold for us for the fourth year in a row?" she asked in a friendly manner trying to be quiet and inconspicuous so as not to draw the attention of the other girls. Blake and Catherine got along very well, thought they rarely got time to be in private because of Elizabeth and her other friends. What Catherine was inquiring about was the fact that Blake was on the school's swim team, having brought gold medals back one after another since she first arrived. She was also a member of the band-though she could only attend lunch practices.

But Sahara Reinhold one of the newest girls to the group overheard and soon all the girls were looking at Blake expectantly. Blake laughed uncomfortably, "I-I'll do my best." She answered still laughing uncomfortably. The teacher then came in to the front of the room, pushing her glasses far up her nose, attendance forms in hand.

Class started and the girls' attentions were drawn to the front of the room. But as class wore on Blake glanced to Elizabeth. Elizabeth was wearing a mischievous smile on her face and slipped a note over to Blake.

_Hey, let's head over to Sleemen's after school. _Blake read, Sleemen's was a shady area near the school that the girls liked to visit because they knew their parents would have a heart attack if they had known what their daughters were up to. The girls knew nothing like this neighbourhood in their lives, Blake however always urged against going over there. It wasn't that they did anything bad over there, Blake's fear was about the bad people there doing something.

Blake had this fear having been familiar with the real world, no sheltering from her parents what so ever, she knew the danger. _Elizabeth you know I'm going to say no _Blake wrote down and slipped back to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth read the note and frowned. _YOU ARE GOING TO GO _Elizabeth wrote back being demanding, Beth could be demanding she threw tantrums that would put children to shame. She was a girl who had not grown up hearing the word 'no', Blake was the only person ever to scold Elizabeth and deny her what she wanted.

Blake shook her head as Elizabeth glared at her angrily and Elizabeth stomped her foot in impatience. Blake shook her head again, the teacher taking this as a signal that Blake wanted to read in class, he called on her to stand up and read the passage aloud. Blake complied not sighing or rolling her eyes she stood up with the book in hand and read aloud.

The entire class paused to actually listen to her read, it was one of the few moments that their attention was drawn from their phones. When she finished reading they returned to their previous activities of texting one another secretly. _No means No Beth _Blake wrote back and slid it to Elizabeth.

As she passed the note over to Elizabeth she saw Elizabeth smile and as the note changed hands Blake felt a note poke into the pam of her hand. She unfolded it, it was written on unfamiliar pink paper and running down the paper were several of the other girls signatures and their agreement to come along.

_Well if you won't go with me I guess I'll go with them _Elizabeth scrawled across the bottom in large letters underlining it multiple times.

Blake sighed, Elizabeth had outmaneuvered her, Blake wasn't easily manipulated the rest of the class knew that from trying to get her to do their projects or copy her own. But there were some people who could manipulate her easily because she didn't bother to protect herself against them and Elizabeth was one of those few.

Blake sighed _I'll come… but only to keep you girls safe. _She wrote Elizabeth smiled and did a silent clap of appreciation. The day seemed to pass slowly for Blake as classes dragged agonizingly on and on, but probably only because she was worried about after class. Watching after one or two girls was manageable-she'd of course be worried but it wouldn't stress her out. But looking at the list of names this was closer to fifteen girls that she was going to have to keep a watchful eye over.

Her stress didn't go unnoticed, as she sat rubbing her temples, a habit she has when stressed out Catherine came over and patted her on the back, "Hey are you alright?" she asked trying to be reassuring.

"Oh yeah I'm fine." Blake insisted.

"It's about after school right. I could see you and Elizabeth passing notes, you didn't want us to go did you?" Catherine asked and Blake smiled as she nodded, "I'll help keep an eye out too for you, and don't worry about me."

"That just makes me worry even more about you." Blake responded smiling.

"Well I've got your back." Catherine insisted.

If only the girls knew what was going on over on the other side of town, if they had known perhaps they wouldn't have gone over to Sleemen's they probably would have gone straight home. But how could they have known that the mafia was planning on kidnapping students from _José's School for Girls _for ransom money. If only they had known that Elizabeth had unwittingly told them how many girls were going to be over at Sleemen's and when they were going to be there.

There was constant buzz going on around Blake as the girls walked together to their lockers, Elizabeth having pulled strings to get them all right next to one another. Blake tried to block out the sound and focus on keeping track of the girls, trying to plan out how to keep them in her line of sight. Catherine was also unusually quiet at her side also watching over the other girls. She tried occasionally talking to Blake and they would have a small exchange before falling silent.

The girls, now only twelve in total one having to stay after class to get reprimanded for using their phones in class and two others having to unexpectedly go home walked over to the convenience store in Sleemen's a fifteen minute walk from the school.

Blake trotted along at the back so that she could keep a continuous watch and head count of all eleven other girls, well really ten since Catherine seemed to have a reasonable head on her shoulders. The girls entered the convenience store laughing and giggling, Blake noticed that some of them had even adjusted their uniforms pulling the skirts up higher and somehow sneaking makeup past the watchful eyes of the teachers.

Blake noticed that Elizabeth was suddenly unusually quiet, Elizabeth was always the girl talking and heading the conversation. Not just heading it, running it and deciding who would speak next and when the subject would change. Blake watched as Elizabeth fixated only on her phone, her pink cell phone with several expensive charms dangling off of it. Elizabeth was rapidly texting with someone.

Blake glanced over the other girls and approached Elizabeth, the other girls moved for Blake. Being Elizabeth's closest friend she was the second in command in the group-though she rarely ever used that power over the other girls, Blake wasn't interested in popularity games she found them to be boring and meaningless.

"Elizabeth who are you texting?" Blake asked her.

Elizabeth giggled and glanced up at Blake curling her hair around her finger, "nobody in particular." She answered innocently.

Blake held her and out for the phone, "I'll ask one more time Elizabeth who are you texting?" Blake asked putting some authority into her voice she could sense that something was wrong-she couldn't place her finger on it. Elizabeth could be harmlessly texting a new boyfriend but still Blake felt that something was wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong.

"You're such a spoil sport Blake really I don't know why I bother to hang out with you." Elizabeth sighed in an exaggerated manner, "You're just so boring." She said blowing a loose curl of hair away from her face, "If you must know it's this guy that I-" Elizabeth started when suddenly there was a loud bang from the front of the store. Blake's head snapped in the direction, a man dressed head to toe in black kicked the door open.

Blake's eyes flashed as she watched him withdraw a gun from his pocket, "Everybody get down now!" she ordered as the shot fired up and into the air. The bang was loud, especially since they were confined in the store. The majority of the girls screamed in terror and dropped to the ground covering their heads.

Elizabeth, Blake and Sahara remained standing, two of the girls in terror and the other trying to figure out what to do. Blake grabbed Elizabeth and forced her down, "Get down, get down!" Blake ordered Sahara.

The gun man turned on her, aiming the gun at her, she felt her heart race and her chest tighten. It was suddenly very difficult to breathe for Blake, she felt sweat break out cold and slick her thoughts racing, "You better listen to her everybody!" the man yelled and swung the gun away from her, she managed to take in a deep breathe then but her heart was still racing.

* * *

><p>I do not own Death Note or any of it's characters<p> 


	5. Chapter 5: This Isn't A Robbery?

**Chapter This Isn't A Robbery?**

_I have to remain calm, at this rate all my blood is going to go to my muscles not my frontal lobe. I can't think straight, I need to breathe and calm my heart down-it's not just my life on the line right now it's all of these girls and everyone else in the store. _Blake reminded herself, she took in another deep breathe, she focused on her diaphragm trying to breathe deep.

She felt her heart slow considerably and it suddenly became easier to think- she could think clearly again, she sat down slowly not willing to move too fast and get the gunman riled up. "Everybody get against the wall and do exactly as I say." Blake whispered to the frightened girls.

The all looked to her, their eyes widened in terror their chest still having some nodded, "Listen to her everybody Blake knows what she's doing." Catherine reaffirmed trying to calm herself like she saw Blake do. There were now nods from all of the girls.

"Do exactly what he says for now, and whatever you do-do not touch your phones. You pull out your phone and you killed us all do you understand?" Blake whispered to them, "In fact everybody pull them out now." She whispered.

"Hey-hey you!" she yelled out to the gun man the other girls jumped and squealed in terror, Catherine tried to shush them but the second Blake raised her hand at them they quieted, "We're going to put out all of our phones right now, nobody here's even thought of calling the cops. If we do that are you going to promise not to hurt any of us?"

The gun man turned his eyes, the only visible part of his face sine he was wearing a black ski mask blinked in confusion, "Uh-yeah I guess.. Yeah do that right now! You heard the girl everybody pull your cellphones out I want them exactly where I can see them!" he yelled, the girls as well at two other shoppers an elderly woman and a young man in a business suit jumped and began to search frantically for their phones.

The girls put them all out in front of themselves in a line, "I want you all right now to kick them far away from yourselves, I can't afford for you to get the urge to try and call for help. It's too risky." Blake ordered and almost immediately afterwards all of the girls kicked at their phones they skittered across the floor well beyond reach.

Blake kept her eyes locked on the gunman as he approached the register the gun in hand, she thought instantly that it could be a robbery. He approached the frantic cashier.

"I-I'll give you whatever you want now no need for-" the cashier started trying to reason with him, there was a flash and a loud bang. Several teenage girls all screamed in horror as they saw the blood on the wall on the cashier fall back. Blake wasn't sure if the cashier was still alive, she didn't see where he'd gotten shot admittedly she flinched in fright. He could still be alive but it was only a matter of time.

The gunman then looked to the door and waved at it, it slammed open the bells announcing customers ringing. Two other gunmen also dressed head to toe in black entered the store. _It's not a robbery is it? There's something else going on here _Blake realised she glanced down at her uniform and the crest, "Hide the school crests right now, don't let them know where we're from." She ordered and saw the girls rush, "Don't rush!" she hissed glancing to the gun men hoping they didn't notice her. They didn't they were talking with one another at the front of the store. She released a held breath, "Do it slowly and inconspicuously." The girls did as she said moving slowly trying not to draw attention to themselves.

"Blake?" a small frightened voice whispered, Blake turned it was Thorne Abigale the youngest girl to tag along, she was only in grade ten she was supposed to come with her older sister but her sister was the one in detention right now, "I-I'm scared." She whispered, she was a petite little girl small and thin. She had the same ash brown hair as her older sister pulled back into a high ponytail behind her head.

"It's going to be alright." Blake reassured trying to smile.

The gunmen whirled to face them, "What's going on over there!" one of the new ones, the largest of the three demanded, Thorne squeaked and ducked in fear.

"She was scared, I was telling her it'll be alright." Blake answered calmly trying to keep her voice monotone she couldn't give the gunmen a reason to snap.

"I wasn't talking to you." The gun man barked waving his gun around, "I was talking to her."

"Well I'm talking to you right now." Blake answered putting some authority in her voice, it wasn't the smartest move to antagonize them but it was the first plan Blake thought of and she went with it.

"I'd listen to her boss, she's been getting them all to cooperate." The first gunman said.

"Shut up." Sneered the second one, "Now we're waiting for our friends to arrive before we continue with the hold up going on here. We're going to ask that you all cooperate and it'll be alight. If not you end up like him." He said pointing his gun over at the cashier.

The gunmen paced up and down the aisles, all of the girls were crowded into the back aisle against the refrigerators. From their sitting position they could see the register clearly but nothing much of the store only the legs of the gunmen as they passed back and forth.

Thorne was trembling next to Blake, Blake reached her hand over lacing her finger' through the fifteen year old's squeezing reassuringly. The girl clamed immediately, Blake was still thinking was there a way she could get all of the girls out of here without taking too great of a risk? Or would they have to wait it out-but it made no sense. Why did the men have to wait, did the store have a safe? If so, why bother this convenience store couldn't possibly have enough money for an operation like this to be worth the risk.

The tall gunman, the one that must be in charge passed in front of them. He was looking them all over most of the girls recoiling away in fright some even whimpered. His eyes narrowed on Blake who stared back at him impassively.

He continued on then paused, Blake looked out of the corner of her eyes he had stopped in front of Elizabeth who was two girls away from her, Thorne and Sahara between them. He suddenly leapt forward at her, Elizabeth shirked the girls sitting next to her jumping away. The gunman grabbed her by her blonde curly hair, "What do you think you're doing!" he barked at her as she began to sob.

He lifted her up, suddenly something slipped from her hands a second cellphone, Blake didn't know that Elizabeth had a second phone. The phone toppled to the floor, Blake could see letters across the screen Elizabeth had been texting somebody.

"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" Elizabeth pleaded, "I didn't mean it! I swear please don't hurt me!"

He tossed her to the floor roughly Elizabeth slamming hard into the wall as she cried, the cell phone that was tossed onto the ground before being crushed under foot, the gunman grounding the cell phone beneath his foot in anger as he yelled most of it undistinguishable. Blake shifted ever so slightly trying not to draw attention to herself, she glanced at the other gunmen who were frozen, the first one seemed hesitant and unlikely to act. However, she couldn't be so sure about the other one.

As the captor finished destroying the phone he began to look up at Elizabeth, Blake saw his hand with the gun move and she moved. She leapt in front of Elizabeth spreading her arms out trying to shield her friend with her body as much as she could. The gun was now pointed at her head, she could stare straight down it's barrel.

She resisted that urge, she forced herself to look the gunman in the eyes, "You're going to have to shoot me before you shoot anybody else in here!" she stated.

"I can make that possible." He said cocking the gun.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Blake said calmly doubts were firing throughout her mind about her plan. She pictured herself dead in a pool of her own blood, she mentally shook herself off, she had already acted it wouldn't do to get indecisive now she would just have to live or die with the consequences.

She saw the flicker in his eyes the momentary confusion, "And why's that?" he snickered.

"Right now we're hostages right?" Blake asked him, she saw his eyebrows knit together in confusion at the obvious question, "Hostages mean a living shield, it will halt the police and if worse comes to worse you can hide behind us or among us. But if you kill us you're giving the police all the reason to shoot you as well as eradicating your own shield. We're only valuable to you alive, shooting me is the same as shooting yourself."

"And if by any chance the police don't shoot to kill, you're only making it worse on yourself. A nice long sentence in jail, and by the way there's always Kira I'm sure he'd love to jump at a chance like this. I guess I'll be seeing you on the six o clock news dead from a heart attack all the way in heaven" Blake finished. The gun man snorted and moved the gun away, Blake wanted to sigh in relief in fact she heard Elizabeth sigh by she couldn't afford to do that now she had to stay alert-she had to stay focused.

He looked back at her eyes narrowing, "That's the one and only time you'll be off the hook, next time I shoot to kill understood?" he growled stomping down on the phone once more. Blake noted that one of the charms was once of the little doll people that were so popular, the doll's head bulged before popping off almost as another warning.

"Understood." Blake responded nodding her head refocusing on the criminal.

"You'll speak for everyone here is that understood?" he asked, "You seem to be the only one with a fucking head around here anyway." He muttered under his breath.

She nodded again, "Understood, the girls have already agreed to do whatever I say." She informed him deciding that it wouldn't hurt to share this information if anything it was good, they'd give her authority over the other girls- authority to stop them from doing something stupid.

"And what did you say exactly?" the third gunman the one who had so far remained silent asked.

"I first told them to get rid of their phones." Blake said nodding her head in the direction of the scattered phones, "Then I told them to do whatever you three order, whatever it takes to get out alive." He nodded and turned his back on them walking to the door to look outside.

The gunmen continued to pace around the store waiting, every minute seemed like an hour to the girls. Blake lost track of time and for that she mentally scolded herself. She had taken her watch off during swim practice at their second lunch break and put it in her bag and she didn't want to risk getting her bag right now. She glanced at the shelf in front of her and idea coming to mind. She scooted forward slowly, cautiously keeping her eyes on the gunmen at all times. The bottom shelf was all juice jugs and the shelf above it was potato chip bags.

She reached forward for a bag of potato chips not really caring what brand or flavour. She was curious she was testing the captors, her hand closed on the bag crackling softly, just as she planned. The second gun man whorled on her.

He stormed over, "You what are you doing?" he demanded.

"I was hungry, so I thought I'd have some food." Blake answered bluntly crinkling the bag in hand loudly now, the girls around her stomachs began to growl in hunger, "Some of the other girls were hungry as well."

The gunman snorted, "Does that mean I can have it?" Blake asked him raising her brow.

"Yeah yeah just shut up already." He growled and marched over to the front of the store yanking the blinds down and flipping the closed sign. Blake wanted to laugh these three weren't the brightest of the bunch, she would've done that from the very start. So far the only smart thing they've done is cover their faces and bring guns, but Blake knew that if she got the guns away the game was hers.

Instead of laughing she opened the chip bag and scooted back to sit with the other girls. To keep up with her act she pulled out a handful before passing the bag on, it was devoured ravenously within seconds. Catherine looked over at her gratefully and mouthed thanks.

"Sahara, I need to sit next to Catherine. As quietly as you can and with as little movement as you can we need to switch spots." Blake whispered to Sahara. The girl causally tucked a lock of her hair behind her hair signalling she understood. The two girls watching every move of their captors slowly moved holding their breath with every movement praying they wouldn't make a noise and they wouldn't be heard.

Thorne blinked confused as Blake slowly moved past her and to where she originally sat, "Thorne I'm going to be distracted talking to Catherine, I can't keep my attention on the three of them. You're going to have to be my look out, you are one of the best batters on the school's baseball team I know you can see anything coming from a mile away-you're perceptive."

"What I need you to do is if they look over I want you to pat my back once like this." And Blake gently tapped the smaller girl on the back, "But if they walk over act very scared and jump grabbing my hand as hard as you can. And if it looks like they've noticed me talking I want you to dig your nails into my palm very hard-understood?" Blake asked keeping her voice down and warily watching their captors.

"I-I understand Blake." Thorne whispered back, she detached her baseball cap from her bag unsnapping the buttons quietly and tucking it on her head swiping her hand across the brim, Blake recognized the movement Thorne always did that in practice to get her mind focused on the task at hand.

"Good girl." Blake whispered and shifted pulling the collar of her shirt up to cover her mouth, she glanced at Catherine who mimicked her. The two girls shifted to get as close to each other as possible without looking like they were whispering.

Blake noticed Sahara looking at them and began to whimper and act afraid so if anything the gunmen would focus on her, Elizabeth noticed the act and she too began to cry quietly to add on. Soon the other girls seemed to recognize the situation acting as lookouts or decoys.

"Catherine, I'm going to make a move for one of the guns." Blake whispered, Catherine shook her head ever so slightly her eyes were worried and afraid, "I'm only doing this because the chance of success is high-I know how to use one of those things. I may not be able to shoot to kill… but if I have to I will."

"Look, out of the three of them, the second one-the one that grabbed Beth. He's the most dangerous, I'm going to get his gun. The moment I do that what I need you girls to do is to run for the back exit, there's a cart." She paused allowing Catherine to glance over her shoulder at the cart.

"I need you to push it as hard as you can. Preferably hitting the third one-the one that came in with grumpy there."

Catherine nodded, "I'm going to keep the first one distracted, he may have shot the cashier but look at him he's shaky and unsure. I think he wants to back out, anyways if I grab the gun he's going to go for me." Blake finished.

"What about you Blake?" Catherine whispered in a small quiet voice.

Blake grit her teeth and pinched the bridge of her nose as she released a deep breathe, "Sometimes you have to sacrifice a piece in a game of chess to win, even if it's the queen. If I get lucky-they'll take me alive, if not they'll shoot me."

Blake shook her head, "But it doesn't matter, I need you to get everybody out-except me. Don't even think about me. Don't come back or I'll shoot at you myself." Blake finished.

"How are you going to do this Blake?" Catherine asked as Blake put her collar back into place.

"I'm going to get a drink of juice." Blake smirked, "Catherine pass this message on to your left. When I make my move everyone grab your bag and hide as much of your body behind it as you can. They can't shoot what they can't see. Oh and tell them where to run."

Catherine nodded, Blake then started to pass the message along to Thorne. Both girls watched and waited until the girl at the far ends nodded her head. Thankfully there were only three girls to Blake's left including Catherine.

Blake kicked the shelf in front of her hard and shifted forward noisily snatching a jug of juice. The irritable second gunman stormed over infuriated. Blake shifted placing her legs under her, he twisted around the aisle storming towards her.

"What do you think you're doing?" he demanded, Blake leapt up splashing the juice in his face. He didn't expect it he got orange juice in his eyes. He yelled out in pain and stumbled back bringing his arms up to protect his face, Blake threw the mostly full jug at him. His gun skittered to the floor, Blake dove for it as the other girls got up holding their bag up as she ordered.

Catherine sprinted for the cart shoving it as hard as she could the second gun man jumped out of the path. Blake swore under her breathe but noticed where he moved. She yelled bracing herself charging for the nearest shelf.

She slammed her shoulder hard into it and it toppled forwards, the gunman stared up shocked as the shelf fell at him. Blake winced she knew it would hurt slamming into it like that-but it hurt a lot more than she expected. She changed her focus to the remaining gunman, he had stepped back in fright.

He was staring at her afraid and with trembling hands lifted his gun up, reflexively Blake lifted her arms up. The gun in one hand the other one acting as support. She fired three quick shoots, she could see the whites of the man's eyes as they widened in absolute terror.

The glass refrigerator door behind him exploded the jugs of milk behind his head leaking out onto the floor as his legs gave out beneath him and he fell to the ground.

Blake stood her ground chest heaving and eyes wide, it had been so long since she had to fire a gun-the last time was when she was only a child and her father wasn't arrested. He insisted that she learned-he made her learn and taught her well. She was rooted to the spot her chest heaving.

She took a breath to steady herself and turned looking at the exit, the elderly woman and man in the business suit had also taken advantage of the situation rushing for the back door the front door now blocked by the toppled shelf. Catherine was standing in front of the door waiting for Blake. Blake wasn't sure if she should smile at her new found friend's kindness or snap at her for being so foolish.

Suddenly a baseball cap adorned head also poked around the corner, petite little Thorne her backpack slung over her shoulders. Blake started to run towards them her foot stepping down in the juice puddle when she heard a groan.

"Blake!" Catherine shrieked and suddenly Blake felt a hand clamp down hard around her ankle. It tugged viscously hard on her ankle her foot slipping out from under her. She had no choice but to fall. Her head slammed hard into the metal handle of one of the refrigerator doors. Her head exploded in pain and her vision doubled as she slipped to the floor.

"Run!" she managed to shout out impulsively only in her fading sight to see Catherine and Thorne run towards her, _no I meant away you idiots _she thought as she slipped out of consciousness.

Blake groaned wincing before opening her eyes slowly, three faces swam into view first it was Thorne's baby face- although she was fifteen she could probably pass for twelve. Then was Catherine's heart shaped face and lastly Elizabeth's face.

"Blake, Blake are you alright?" Elizabeth asked her shaking her.

"Quiet down!" a familiar male voice barked, "I said to move away from her. Get!"

Elizabeth jumped Thorne flinched covering her ears and Catherine protectively grabbed Blake shielding her with her body. "I told you not to come back for me, you could've gotten away." Blake croaked her head swimming, she gently peeled Catherine's hand off of her shoulder sitting up. She wanted to vomit but she forced herself not to.

"How long have I been out?" she asked.

"It could've only been a few moments." Catherine answered her.

Blake glanced over at the captors lowering her voice, "Has everyone else gotten away, if so has anyone called the police?" she asked as quietly as she could.

Thorne glanced warily over at the gunmen before looking into Blake's eyes, "Whoever they're with has managed to delay them. They created a diversion on the other end of town right in front of the station, it's chaos. They are however still waiting for pickup."

"I've failed you guys-I'm sorry." Blake whispered aloud. The other girls grabbed her shoulder and squeezed reassuringly. As Catherine opened her mouth there was the sound of grating wheels outside, their captors jumping to attention.

Thorne began to tremble and whimper, "Where do you think they're taking us?" she asked Blake.

Blake who suddenly felt like Thorne was Ella and she needed to protect her with her life felt like the floor was ripped out from under her. She didn't know where, she didn't know why. "Blake has a plan Thorne there's no need to worry." Catherine said.

"Get up!" ordered the man Blake thought she had pinned under the shelf, but glancing over the shelf it appears that it had been lifted up to allow his enough space to wriggle out.

All of the girls glanced over at Blake waiting for her orders, she nodded her head and they stood up together, "Make a diamond Elizabeth, Thorne I want you two in the center." She whispered and they made the formation, Catherine at the head and Blake at the very back. The skittish man took the front glancing over them.

"We will now exit the store, there's going to be a truck and I want all of you to get into it." Ordered the short tempered kidnapper, he then marched over to stand behind Blake uncomfortably close to her. She could feel his breathe on her neck. She wanted to hit him right then in that moment. She was filled with rage she could imagine it in her head what's be like. She'd elbow him in the face causing his head to snap back and eyes to water and he'd probably stumble back to. She'd rush him then sweeping his legs out from under him. Afterwards she's kick him while he was down she'd go to town on him.

A throat clearing behind her snapped her to attention, the other girls were already at the door, she scurried after them the kidnapper now close on her heels. She stepped outside to find a discreet work van, along the side it read that they did plumbing the character on the side looking very similar to a certain mustachioed Italian who spent a lot of time in pipes chasing evil creatures. The girls were in the back of the van they had curled up on themselves in fright in the far back corner.

"Hey you turn around." Ordered the kidnapper behind Blake, not wanting to comply but with no other choice she turned. She expected to see that damn gun barrel in her face once again ready to shoot her. She had been partially right, the butt of the gun slammed into her face. It was the last thing she saw as she fell to the concrete unconscious.

Mello meanwhile who couldn't see what was going on a t the back of the truck because of the doors hopped out. He heard over the radio that complications arose, one of the men shot the cashier. Not to mention the fact that the school girls unexpectedly fought back most of them getting away. He hadn't agreed to the plan from the start, kidnapping school girls for ransom it seemed stupid and foolish. However, at this point in time he had little choice in the matter. He needed the funds in the future if the plan worked out and he needed to stay on the mafia's good side he needed them to work for him after all he'd only been here a handful of months.

So he planned everything out, every moment. He even figured out how to lure them here, he even managed to get a larger group then expected-but unfortunately the men chosen-men he advised were not suited for the task-screwed up. His carefully laid plan had crumbled apart.

The masked men were now removing their masks their identities no longer at risk, Antoine the hot headed thug Mello didn't want heading the operation stomped around the truck. For the past few minutes he'd been listening to Mello lecture him through the radio.

"You want to know what went wrong? You want to know where it went wrong?" He screeched, "Well there's you answer!" he yelled pointing to the back of the van before storming off to get to the front of the van.

Mello curiously walked around the doors to the van to see an unconscious girl lying on the ground. She was athletic with a lean body that was well toned. Her ebony hair splayed around her, her eyes were closed a growing black eye over the right one. Her mouth was opened the slightest bit she had pink lips that had a smear of red blood over them from the blood coming out of her nose. She was actually quite beautiful, thinking back to what he heard over the radio she must have been the one who got the other girls out-the smart one with the potato chips. Mello looked her over once again, she was dressed in the uniform of the school they wanted they'd have to take her because she'd be worth money.

He shrugged his shoulders snatching a bar of chocolate out of his pocket, it wasn't any of his concern what happened to her. He finished it tossing the wrapper at her, he rooted around in his pockets. He planned for unruly captives withdrawing plastic zip ties the kind that police officers used. He kicked her rolling her over onto her stomach, he heard the other girls yell at him two even shifting forwards.

He reacted calmly withdrawing his gun and putting it to the unconscious girl's head. The others instantly stopped what they were doing and went back to their corner. He continued with what he was doing tying her hands together as tight as he could. He rolled her back over once again to look at her-he didn't really know why though.

When he rolled her over some of her hair was in her face and he brushed it aside, "Sorry." He whispered quietly and stood up looking over at Flavio the cowardly gun man who had gotten shot at. "What are you looking at get her in the trunk!" Mello barked and the man scrambled dropping the mask in hand at his feet. Mello frowned at the mask scooping it up-it wouldn't do to leave it there.

* * *

><p>I do not own Death Note or any of it's characters<p> 


	6. Chapter 6: How Blake Met Mello

**Chapter How Blake Met Mello**

When Blake awoke it was to lying on a cold hard metal floor that was jostling beneath her, she released a groan and tried to sit up using her hands to find them tied behind her back. She shifted they were definitely secured tightly behind her, there was no way she'd be able to untie herself that is if they even used rope. Judging from what she could feel it felt like zip ties, there'd be no untying.

She sat up, the back of the van was dark she could barely see anything. Once her eyes adjusted she could see the other girls, a nervous Catherine, a jittery Thorne and a disheveled Elizabeth.

"Blake you're awake." Catherine whispered shifting herself over, Blake immediately noticed that Catherine's hands were tied with actual rope in front of her. She glanced over the other two girls, she was the only one with plastic zip ties and the only one with her hands behind her back. Apparently they only saw her as a threat.

"Have they said anything?" Blake asked keeping her voice down.

"No, they haven't said a thing. We also don't know if they can hear us so we've been whispering." Catherine answered her.

"How long have we been in here for?" Blake asked glancing around the van trying to see if there was any way to look outside and figure out where they were or better yet a way to escape.

"We don't know." Thorne piped up shifting to sit close to Blake her baseball cap still pulled over her head.

"I'm so sorry, this is all my fault. I'm the one who got us all to go to Sleemen's. If it wasn't for me none of us would be here-" Elizabeth started blurting out as she began to cry.

"Elizabeth quiet none of us could've known." Blake answered, Elizabeth opened her mouth to speak again and Blake knew what was going to come out. _She knows that she told them exactly where we would be and how many of us there were, whoever she was texting was in on this _Blake thought, "Elizabeth crying will get you nowhere." She insisted, she didn't want the other girls to know it would only cause them to panic or hate Elizabeth and right now they needed to stick together it was necessary to survive.

"These vans… I know the doors are locked from the outside. But I want to try anyways."" Blake thought aloud and pushed herself over to the doors. It was no easy task with her hands tied and the van jostling every second but she got herself over to the doors and rolled onto her back aware the other girls were watching her. She began to kick at the door as hard as she could, it was as futile as she thought it would be it didn't seem to be doing anything.

However, Blake was angry and frustrated at this point. She was afraid and trapped and so she directed that at the door. A small part of her brain registered that maybe if she made enough noise they'd stop the van and she could use that to get away. Screaming she began to kick hard at the door, suddenly the van lurched to a stop and she slammed face first into the door stopping her from screaming in anger.

She couldn't tell if they had simply arrived where they were being taken or if her screaming had alerted them. She repositioned herself to kick but not for the doors, no this time Blake was going to kick whoever it was that was going to open the door. She waited and could hear as the door to the front creaked open and feet padded on the concrete it was strangely quiet in the back of the van now that it wasn't moving. The girls could even hear their breathing.

It seemed to take forever for the person to walk around to the doors to the back of the van. They paused which drove the girls insane, Blake felt the sweat drip slowly down her neck and her back. The locks on the doors creaked and the door creaked open slowly. She was blinded by the sunlight that suddenly streamed in-but she could make out wherever it was that the person's face was. She kicked and kicked hard their head snapping back and they stumbled back.

Blake leapt to her feet almost tripping over herself as she did, she leapt out of the truck almost landing on the person she had kicked in the face. He had to be about her age with shoulder length blonde hair dressed in a leather jacket. She looked around her not recognizing where it was they had taken them.

"C'mon run!" Blake yelled looking back to the other girls, Thorne was the first to shot out of the truck clearing the felled blonde kidnapper completely when she leapt. She sailed over him and stumbled slightly disorientated from having her hands bound but recovering and sprinting off. Catherine was next falling over her feet out of the truck and then sprinting skittering around the blonde.

Elizabeth was hesitating at the back of the truck, refusing to move. Blake heard car doors slamming from the front and could hear angry shouts, "Elizabeth now!" Blake yelled, Elizabeth trembling began to run over. She jumped out of the car landing next to the blonde kidnapper. He snapped to attention trying to grab her ankle.

Blake stomped down hard on his arm, he yelled in pain trying to drag it away but she held it in place. "Run Elizabeth run!" Blake ordered the other kidnappers heard her and ran over just as Elizabeth screaming took off running. Blake went to follow after her. She tried to run behind Elizabeth and shield her in case any shots were fired.

However, Blake felt someone grab her. They slammed hard into her back and with her hands tied she had no choice but to fall forwards to the ground. She hit hard scrapping her cheek the person on top of her pushing her against the pavement. Other feet ran past her chasing after the other girls. Elizabeth squeaked in terror and tripped one man stopping to stay next to her.

"That really freaking hurt bitch." Snarled whoever it was that was on her, she squirmed a bit to see the blonde's face uncomfortably close to her own his blue eyes boring into her.

"Getting kidnapped isn't much better." She spat back at him futilely trying to stand up that was difficult for two reasons, he didn't just tackle her he also pinned her and secondly her hands were still tied behind her back.

Blake heard screaming and tried to look up but the blonde grabbed her head and shoved it into the ground forcefully. She could tell it was the other girls they hadn't gotten away.

"Which one of you was it?" growled their hotheaded kidnapper from the convenience store, "Which one of you did it? One of you is going to pay!" he yelled.

"It was me!" Blake could hear Catherine yell, "She's lying it was my idea!" Thorne yelled but her voice cracked at the end giving herself away completely.

"Don't listen to them it was me." Blake called out.

She could hear the hotheaded assailant turn on her, "You again." She heard a gun cock, "I'm getting sick of you."

The blonde on her back grabbed her by the hair forcing her to sit up, he wrapped his arm around her neck squeezing tightly, "The other two were lying it was her idea. However, you know the plan we can't kill them." He ordered and squeezed his arm against Blake's throat. Instinctively her hands moved behind her back trying to claw at it but his other hand clamped down on hers stopping her from moving. He dragged her up to her feet.

"I say that we separate this one from the others, it'll be problematic if she manages to escape again." The blonde said behind her, she stomped down hard on his foot hoping it would get him to release her. He yelled in pain and released her hands to strike her hard across the back of the head.

Blake could now see the other girls, Thorne's hands were held behind her back her wrists so small that her captor could hold both of them with one hand. Catherine was snatched around the waist her feet kicking uselessly into the air. Elizabeth who hadn't put up much of a fight simply stood in place with her captor's hand on her shoulder.

"You're all coming with us whether you like it or not." The blonde holding her said.

Blake shifted twisting her neck so she could breathe better, "What are you going to do to us you sick bastards." She spat glaring down into his blue eyes.

He grinned, "Don't worry we're not here to hurt you-just your parents' bank accounts you pretty little rich girls are worth a lot of money." He explained grinning sadistically, Blake could feel shivers run down her spine, "We can't hurt hostages we're holding for ransom money."

"R-ransom money?" Catherine sputtered, "That's all this is for is some money?" she yelled out incredulously, "How do you even know that we're worth anything? For all you know our parents are poor!" she exclaimed, Blake mentally sighed problem was one of them was actually in that situation.

She couldn't see it but she could tell the blonde behind her was grinning, he had been waiting for this opportunity to come around, "Well you see we all know you're from _Jose's _someone among the twelve of you told us exactly where you would be." He answered.

Thorne and Catherine looked horrified, "Oh they didn't do it on purpose of course-they didn't know what was waiting for them." The blonde added as an afterthought, Blake looked to Elizabeth the girl looked haunted. Her eyes stared blankly at the ground and she was trembling violently, she knew who it was that had gotten the four of them into this.

"Take them inside!" the blonde ordered and with that the group began to be dragged along inside. Blake wanted to fight and resist she wanted to fight tooth and nail, however she couldn't f she did she'd only endanger the other girls. She couldn't afford for one of them to get hurt, she needed to get them all out alive.

They were walked down hallways through the compound. Blake tried to use this as an opportunity to map her way around and figure it out but the blonde continually yanked on her hair or stomped on her trying to keep her distracted-also she figured out that they weren't heading directly to their holding area. They were purposely circling around and around trying to disorientate the girls and make the compound seem larger.

Blake could already recognize certain landmarks that they passed and there were a few halls that she could make her way around easily. They finally stopped in front of a room in the center of the compound according to the way Blake had managed to orientate herself though she wasn't entirely certain. The heavy metal door grated open there were several metal cots pushed up against the walls they had been planning on snatching more girls but four was all they had managed.

It looked like a prison cell to Blake, there wasn't even a window to the outside and she noted a slot in the metal door to slide trays into. Elizabeth was roughly shoved inside she released a choke sob and stumbled forwards heading for a cot in the back far corner immediately. Thorne was next, she caught herself before she could fall and twisted to stare defiantly back at the men at the door. Catherine was tossed at her and Thorne caught her the two girls falling backwards onto a bed together.

The girls looked expectantly to Blake, she in fact struggled against the blonde to try and get to the girls. But he tightened his grip on her squeezing hard on her neck. She choked and coughed struggling to breathe. He released her, "You didn't really think I was going to let you in there with them. After all the trouble you caused me. My plan would've been perfect even with these idiots carrying it out but you ruined it."

"I've got a special place for you, I even accounted for this. I hope you enjoy solitary confinement." The blonde stated his breath stirring Blake hair. The metal door swung shut and locked in place, Blake panicked this could be the last time she ever sees these girls alive or the last time they see her alive.

The other men dispersed leaving Blake with the blonde and the short tempered kidnapper, he loosened his grip on her slightly but just as quickly she felt something hard and metal pressed to her temple.

"One wrong move and I shoot understand." The blonde growled.

"Understood." Blake answered and with that was pushed down the hall they walked at a quick pace and the constant presence of the gun was too distracting for Blake to focus on the path. They stopped in front of another metal door, Blake watched the gun be waved in the general direction of the door and the short tempered thug dashed over to it.

He swung it open, this room wasn't so much of a room as a closet. Blake glanced at it the floor was dirty and Blake didn't even want to know what it was that made it reek the way it did. She was kicked squarely in the back and fell forwards straight onto the floor and into the wall.

She slammed into it and slipped to the floor, she leapt to her feet to run towards the door only for it to slam shut in her face. She could hear several locks be set into place, the room was pitch black light didn't even pour in from around the door.

Blake tried to see something anything, her leg or her shoe but there was nothing but darkness. She scooted back along the floor hitting the wall with her back, she then stuck her les out and they brushed against the other wall.

She began to panic then it was pitch dark, she was tied up and locked in a very small room. Her chest heaved uncontrollably and she found she couldn't breathe right. It was almost as if she had forgotten how to breathe properly it came out in large gasps. She felt like there were hands around her throat or a weight on her chest pressing down, down, down, there was no way she could get enough air into her system. She could feel her heart race in her chest beating against her ribs like it wanted to burst out, she couldn't think straight everything in her head was jumbled.

She began to sob pushing herself back into the corner further and further sobbing and crying and screaming. She had tried so hard not to get afraid, she tried to stay brave but she couldn't do it any longer. She sobbed for hours crying until tears no longer came. She continued to cry until her voice went hoarse and she could no longer make sound. She lay on the cold hard floor, her cheek pressed against it exhausted.

Her shoulders continued to rise and fall and now she was trembling even more violently than Thorne or Elizabeth had earlier. It was uncontrollable and she couldn't stop it she just kept shaking. She heard a grating sound and the door slowly creaked open. Blinding bright light pierced her eyes, reflexively she pushed herself backwards into the corner trying to get away.

"So this is the last one of the four we managed eh? A real looker this one, she like the others?" someone asked, it was definitely not one of the men from earlier Blake couldn't recognize his voice. Whoever it was stepped into her space coming towards her, she rolled and sat up to face them.

She couldn't make out there face but the moment they saw hers they began to laugh. They slapped their hand against their thigh and threw their head back as they laughed manically, they stopped laughing and stared down at her. Slowly the face swam into view and for Blake it was a recognizable face, "Well, well, well if it isn't Boss Rossi's daughter."

"What?" a familiar voice questioned, it was the blonde she kicked in the face earlier.

"The boss is going to want to see this, you're going to go for a walk pretty girl." With that he reached forward and snatched her by the hair at the top of her head. She screamed and kicked her legs out trying to hit him.

"Hey what do you think you're doing, the plan was to not harm any of the hostages!" the blonde yelled out angrily rushing forwards to try and stop what was happening.

The man who held Blake snickered again, "Trust me, this one's not like the others. She's going to be absolutely worthless." He still held her hair yanking on it roughly and pulling her up against his chest. With his other hand he cut her zip ties her hands were now free.

"Rossi move it!" he yelled at her, Blake's memories ran past, this was Zachariah. One of her father's most trusted men all those years ago, he betrayed her father running off with several thousand dollars and then escaping just before her father got arrested. If her father hadn't gotten arrested Zachariah most likely would've been dead in a few days. He certainly looked older since Blake last saw him, those last five years adding to his face but she recognized him nonetheless.

They walked to a secure looking door, Zachariah leaned over her shoulder to punch a code in the door before pressing down on a button for a radio, it buzzed with static before he spoke into it, "Zachariah here, I've got something the boss will want to see." He spoke in and with hat the door opened.

"Zach what the hell do you think you're doing?" the blonde asked angrily, Blake grateful that he at least showed some mercy.

"You'll see Mello, you're still new around here you've got a thing or two to learn. Just sit tight." Zachariah insisted. The second they stepped in the room Blake was shoved forwards roughly she fell to her knees her hair swinging into her face. Two sets footsteps sounded behind her stopping directly behind her. She was thankful at least that now she had her hands to break the fall she fell to her knees her palms slamming hard into the floor and jarring her wrists.

"Zachariah what the hell do you think you're doing? I thought I told you that we can't hurt these girls." An unfamiliar voice stated, it held great authority to it and spoke calmly. Either this was the overall boss or a very high ranking man in the base Blake determined.

"Boss, I think you'll be pleased to find that-" he paused and stepped forwards grabbing Blake by the hair again. She screamed reaching up and digging her nails into his skin trying to detach him from her hair as he forced her to sit up. The blonde-Mello she supposed rushed forwards but Zachariah pushed him back he smirked, "Looks like we caught Boss Rossi's daughter."

Blake glanced up at the mafia boss before her, she didn't know him, he grinned down at him, and Blake corrected herself maybe she did and simply didn't remember because she was a child, but the grin meant he recognized her, "So Blake Rossi, you've decided to grace us with your presence." He announced.

"I'm not here by choice, you know full well that I have nothing to do the mafia." Blake snarled as Zachariah shifted his grip on her hair, she was still forced to look up. Her hands instead of attacking his hands flew to her thighs. She didn't want to appear weak in front of these men, so instead she dug her nails as inconspicuously as she could into her thighs to distract herself from the pain. Mello noticed the action, she was digging her nails in so deep that she broke the skin trace amounts of blood oozing up. However, glancing around the room none of the others saw the action.

"That's right, you're wearing the same uniform as all the other girls. How'd you do it Blake? Black mail, drugs? How did you get in to such an institution?" the mafia boss asked her.

She struggled again Zachariah actually releasing her hair this time, she grit her teeth together and snarled, "Hard work and honesty, two things I'm sure you're not familiar with." Everyone but Mello and Blake laughed at her.

The crime boss leaned forward in his chair to regard her, and smirked, "Well you certainly look like your father but it looks like little _Miss _Rossi here takes after her mother." He taunted her, she glared at him.

"What do you want with us?" Blake snarled.

The mafia boss smiled down on her, "Well you certainly weren't part of the plan, what are you worth? Absolutely nothing if I remember correctly your family lost everything when your father got caught. But those other girls, _Jose's _is a school for the elite of the elites here in L.A." the crime boss started, "And you see we're short funded around here. So I thought I'd borrow their daughters for a while and if they want them back then they're going to have to pay for it."

"You know we'll get exactly what we want and that's lots of green. All you have to do is sit back and stay quiet Blake." The boss smiled down at her.

"Like you said I'm not my father, I'm not going to sit idly by while you hold these girls captive. They're not prizes or toys, they're human beings and more importantly just kids." Blake spat back at him.

Zachariah jerked her hair and Blake saw his hand fly up to slap her, the boss who she still didn't recognize grabbed Zachariah's wrist before he could slap her though halting it. The boss smiled down on her generously, "Well, it seems someone knows their right from their wrong. Are you hoping to become an officer in the law one day Blake is that it? Are you going to get back at your father for what he did?" he questioned her.

"I just want to live an honest life away from everything that destroyed it." Blake answered.

The boss roared with laughter at this, "An honest life, how cute." He looked back down at her leaning forwards to get eye level with her, "It wasn't the mafia that destroyed your life, it was your father. If you join with us I can assure you that things will never be the same-I'm sure you're in the poorhouse right now."

"You want out? I can offer you a way out." He offered her. Blake glared at him her rage was at its highest right now and she couldn't think clear enough to reply to him. He regarded her, she could feel his gaze travel up and down her body, he smirked taking her look for one of acceptance. He reached his hand out in front of her, Blake glanced at it the hand was decorated with several luxurious rings.

She looked up into his eyes jerking her head away from him and frowning, she watched the boss look over at Zachariah and nod. Zachariah grabbed her by the back of the neck jerking her head forwards toward the ring decorated hand.

"You'll never be given an offer like this again Blake Rossi I suggest you take it." The boss repeated, Zachariah continued to force her face towards the rings, she stared at them her heart racing in her chest. She did the first thing that came to mind she spat.

She spat at his hand and snarled at him, "I already told you that I'd never join you, I'd rather-" she started when she felt those very rings connect with her skull. Mello watched as the small girl was punched, his boss's hand connecting with her skull roughly a crack echoing throughout the room.

Everyone stopped what they were doing to look at her, she was hit with so much forced that she slammed into the ground and her head was cracked to the side. The rings had split the skin on the side of her head in several places blood pouring out, she sat back up looking defiantly at the mafia members around her.

"Zachariah get the chair." Mello's boss ordered snapping his fingers impatiently. Mello watched confused and curious as Zachariah dashed off, he heard another crack to see Blake had been struck again falling forwards onto the ground, his boss then proceeded to dig his foot into her spine.

She twisted her head to the side which made her face Mello, she didn't cry out in pain but Mello knew that must have been painful to have that foot dug into your spine but she endured glaring defiantly at him almost egging Mello on to join in and strike her. There was a grating sound of wood on the metal floor. Zachariah returned with a wooden chair, he put it right in front of his boss glancing down at Blake.

He drew his foot back grinning sadistically before kicking her as hard as he could. Mello could hear Blake reflexively go 'umpf' as her body arched around the foot that planted itself in her ribs. Zachariah grabbed her by the hair again forcing her up onto her feet then forcing her into the chair.

"I hope you don't take this personally Blake Rossi, we really don't care about you. But since you refused my offer I have no choice but to punish you in your father's place." Mello's boss stated. Blake tried to leap up to her feet, but before she could Zachariah grabbed her snatching handcuffs from his pocket and cuffing her to the chair.

"What do you think you're doing?" she demanded trying to pull herself away from the chair. It skittered forwards with her and Zachariah grabbed the chair yanking on it, Blake fell forwards slamming the back of her head into the chair. Mello watched it all play out, he wasn't quite sure if he thought this was immoral or moral. But it really didn't matter what he thought because it was not like he could act, he didn't have the power to sway them and he needed the mafia.

Suddenly it the other underlings in the room leapt at the girl some striking her maliciously and others helping to restrain her down into a sitting position into the chair. Within seconds she was tied to the chair facing Mello's boss, she still glared at him her eyes blazing with hatred. He got to his feet cracking his knuckles, he hit her across the face her head cracking to the side, blood began to pour out of her nose. She twisted her head back to glare at him, he pulled back and punched her in the gut, her eyes widened in pain and she coughed, drool and blood coming out of the corner of it.

He sat back down staring at her, "Don't look at me with those eyes Blake, those eyes look so much like _his _eyes." He growled at her, he sighed glancing at his other men, "Do as you please." He breathed and waved his hand in the air dismissively. Mello heard the flip of a phone and glanced over to see one of the few girls in the room flip her cell phone open and pointing the camera over at Blake preparing to record the beating.

Mello could imagine a chunk of meat being tossed into a den of ravenous dogs with those words, the way the other men in the room leapt at her like the dogs fighting and devouring the meat. The beating was brutal to watch, within seconds her chair was knocked to the ground but she couldn't get up being tied to it. Mello watched silently observing it all, he was amazed and awed that she remained silent throughout it all.

The only sound that came out of her were the involuntary coughs and groans that she couldn't help. He felt deep inside of himself some respect for the girl, they were similar. She was smart, he knew so much because of her plans back at the store and she couldn't stand to lose like himself. She took life as an all or nothing game, and when you lost you took everyone down with you. Mello could also register other phones being pulled out recording the fight and even cameras flashing.

"Mello?" a voice asked snapping him from his thoughts, it was that damn old man that he had agreed to work with. One of these days he was going to overthrow the man before him and take over everything here-everything would be his to do with as he pleased. His boss gestured down at the beaten girl laying on the ground before him, his boss grinned, "Please go ahead." He invited politely, Mello internally sighed whether he wanted to or not he was going to have to hit her in order to be accepted as one of the group.

Mello walked over to her, she rolled over hearing him approach to look up at him, her face was already swollen, her lip split several cuts and slashes opened on her face blood smeared everywhere and blood trailing over her chin. Her eyes bore into his own, her dark bottomless eyes. Mello actually felt as though he had fallen into those eyes.

He felt as if they drew him into another world where he was exposed, it was like she was looking at his soul. A shiver ran down his spine as she frowned at him, her chest was heaving with exhaustion and she struggled to stand up her hands uncoordinatedly squirming around on the floor. Mello approached her and pulled his leg back envisioning a soccer ball-he had hit other kids at Whammy's, he was in fact a notorious bully-but this wasn't like that.

He never hit a kid that somebody else had already hit and he never hit anyone who was tied up to a chair. He kicked through hard, he actually lifted her off the floor and she flew. It was the first scream she ever uttered and Mello could hear the snap. She again tried to pull herself up onto her feet and he quickly stalked over to her and stomped down on her hand and she screamed again. He dug his boot into her hand feeling the bones shift under foot before cracking.

She tried to roll away from him the chair stopping her, when she realised that escape was futile she stared into his eyes again. But it wasn't with hurt or anger, sadness or pleading what Mello saw there was pity. She was pitying him she looked visibly upset for him, he swallowed not comfortable with the situation.

With her bloodied and swollen mouth she looked up at him and mouthed _do it already _at him, his eyes widened in surprise and fear. He clenched his jaw and made up his mind he'd give her mercy even if she didn't ask for it. He pulled his foot back and kicked her hard in the face, as hard as he could. She was knocked completely out lying on the floor in a growing pool of her own blood.

He stared down at her, he hadn't noticed until now but his heart was racing and his chest was heaving, "Nice work Mello." A voice acknowledged him somewhere but he didn't look up at it he was still fixated on the unconscious body before him.

"Mello, take her back to her cell immediately." His boss ordered, Mello looked up at him and nodded, he crouched down and began to untie the bonds. They fell to the floor and since she was no longer held in place she fell out of the chair. He then stared at her unsure of how he should carry her, if he wanted to be merciful he'd probably carry her bridal style but that would only do bad for both of them. He considered dragging her all the way there but then thought of the doors and long way he'd have to go.

He instead grabbed her around the waist and tossed her over his shoulder, he carried her out of the room and down the halls finding the thick heavy metal door that he had previously tossed her behind. He opened it and threw her inside, her body rolling away from his and slamming into the wall.

She groaned and curled in on herself still unconscious. Mello looked down and thought to himself _pay attention, pay close attention if I'm not careful that could be me _he told himself _in fact I'd be lucky if that was me-it'd probably be worse. However, I now have some important research to conduct, who is Boss Rossi? _He wondered slamming and locking the cell door behind him leaving Blake alone in the darkness.

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><p>I do not own Death Note or any of it's characters<p> 


	7. Chapter 7: Confinement

**Chapter Confinement**

Blake awoke to find herself in that small confined space, it was just as dark as before. She was never claustrophobic by nature but she could feel the walls moving and tightening in on her. In fact she could see the ceiling coming down and crushing her she could imagine the sounds that her bones would make as they snapped and cracked, the audio experience granted to her by Mello who had just beaten her.

She didn't know what to think of him, there was something different about him from the others something that set him apart. He wasn't one of their own, he was here for something important and despite the fact that he's shown her mercy in the pit of her stomach she knew that if they were treating him as an equal it mean that he was a force to be reckoned with. She was sore all over, she knew without seeing her self she'd be bruised primarily in the face and upper body where she had taken most of the beating.

Her left hand the one Mello crushed under foot had already swollen up several sizes and was locked into place. It was painful and she wouldn't try and move it even if she wanted to, it was too painful. She thought of her little brother and sister, what happened to them. Did they know how to get home? Were they with the police? She didn't know, she was scared alone and afraid and she began imagining their terror. What would they think of her?  
>She began to sob uncontrollably as she lay on the floor in her cell, curling in around herself sobbing. Part of her hoped that they would kill her, but for the most part she wanted to live. She had to live she had to get the other girls out and she had to make it back home her family was relying on her.<p>

Mello meanwhile was back in the center of the base with his boss. He had a chocolate bar in hand as well as several documents in hand reading up on the notorious Boss Rossi. Blake's name wasn't mentioned at all until the last few documents where it described his arrest. There was a news article featuring a picture of Rossi's house the front door wide open light spilling from the inside. Standing in the doorway were three children. Mello could easily identify the younger Blake, her hair was long in the photo extending to the backs of her knees her dark eyes staring out of the photo as if asking the reader why this was happening to her. In one hand she held a young baby maybe only a year old that was clinging onto her, and her other hand was by her side her fingers intertwined with a black haired boy that must be her younger brother.

The article was really the only information on Blake, the article centered around the discussion of what would happen to the criminal's children now left orphaned. Glancing back at the article's cover image other details soon came to Mello's attention the cop car lights reflected in the window to Blake's left the shadowy images of police officers walking around in the sides of the image where her yard was and the lines of yellow police tape crisscrossing everywhere.

Mello had also found out what happened with the recordings of the vicious beating that only occurred moments ago the blood stain on the floor the only reaming evidence. The videos and photos were being sent directly to Boss Rossi, they wanted to make him suffer and squirm. Mello scoffed at this judging from Blake there was little connection between her and her father. He most likely wouldn't care about the video.

His attention was drawn by his boss, "Hey Mello, I've been thinking right about now should be a good time to start the negotiations don't you think?" his boss asked him.

Mello nodded and internally sighed, he was just indirectly ordered to be the one to make the calls. He got up stretching his legs and breaking a large chunk off of his chocolate bars he was going to need to find a phone. He started by calling the parents of the other three girls they had and telling them his demands, he ended by calling the police informing all parties that images confirming the call will soon be sent.

He opened his mouth to report to his boss about how things went when the door to the room was thrown open, "Boss it's bad, real bad the other girls are threatening suicide!" shouted one of the underlings that Mello was not familiar with, "They said that if they don't see Blake that they'll bite their tongues off. All three of them are refusing to cooperate!" he exclaimed his clothes rumpled and stains all over him. It appeared as though the girls had thrown their meals at him with excellent accuracy Mello recalling one of them played baseball.

"Mello!" his boss barked, "Drag the Rossi girl over to them, guess the girl has some use after all." He snarled.

Mello almost snapped there he wasn't particularly fond of how much he was being bossed around-especially being bossed around to do grunt work. But he restrained himself at the last instant shutting his mouth and stomping off. He stormed over to the cell door ripping it open, Blake was laying on the ground staring fixatedly at the floor in front of her. She turned and looked up at him with an attempt at a glare but she had difficulty moving her face.

Mello snorted, "You get to see your little friends now don't look at me like that." He growled and she glared at him, he walked over to her bending down to get eye level. She stared at him angrily, gently he grabbed one arm and then the other pulling them behind her back before tying them together with a new pair of the zip tie cuffs.

"Get to your feet." He ordered her, she shifted sitting up leaning back against the wall behind her but despite that making no other effort to stand or get up, "I said get up." He growled.

"Make me." She challenged him, testing him and toying with him.

He could tell that's what she was doing she was trying to see what her boundaries with him were," Fine then." He snarled and roughly grabbed her shoulder yanking her up. She yelped in pain and tried to squirm away from him.

He laughed, "You told me to make you." Her dark eyes bore holes into his blue ones it was a look of absolute contempt and disgust. She twisted her body and his hand was thrown away from her.

"Don't touch me." She growled at him.

He snapped then and shoved her against the wall digging his hand into her shoulder pinning her there, she ground her teeth together to try and stop the pain, "I'll touch you whenever you want." He answered her, "You don't have the power or the right to tell me not to." He got right into her face his breath stirring her hair and their noses almost touching, "Listen here, this isn't a game. I'll kill you in a second if you interfere with my plans."

"I don't believe you." She whispered to him.

He wanted to smack her then but restrained himself trying to reign over his emotions. He grinned and with his free hand withdrew his gun placing it on her chin. He dug the cold hard metal into her chin forcing her head to tilt back, "Well I'm pretty certain I would if it came down to it." He said also lowering his voice.

He expected her to flinch or recoil and instead she kicked him hard in the crotch her leg swinging up. He doubled over in pain and reflexively he pulled down on the trigger. The gun went off, he didn't see where the shot went all he saw was Blake fall past him.

His eyes widened and he felt his heart skip a beat, his stomach lurched and he felt bile rise up in his throat. _Did I-had I just- I just shot an unarmed restrained girl. It was nothing more than a desperate high schooler and I shot her at point blank range her face right in mine _his mind registered.

Then he heard the footsteps, he had missed. He didn't know whether that should warrant a sigh of relief or not, she was trying to make a dash for the door and the hall, he grabbed her by the back of her uniform throwing her backwards. She slammed into the wall calling out in pain from the impact. He snatched the tie of her uniform and reefed on it, her eyes bulged and she choked she kicked at him again hitting his already sensitive crotch.

Together they fell to their knees in pain, but Mello was the first to act. He snatched her hair digging his nails into her skull and yanking as hard as he could as he got to his feet. He could only imagine the pain and she shrieked like an animal. He slammed his gun back into place against her skull.

"Shut up or I shoot understood?" he snarled and she quieted herself. His hand moved from her hair to her shoulder and he began to guide her down the halls of the compound stopping in front of the one where her friends were.

All three of them were standing in the aisle of the beds looking angrily at the door, when the saw Blake they cried out in relief yelling at her in greeting. They however couldn't see her face well because the two guards at the door obscured their view. The guards saw Mello with Blake and moved aside letting him push her into the room.

She cried out in joy and ran towards them her legs collapsing beneath her in relief as she approached. The other girls leapt on her yelling worriedly, they then took in Blake's face and her condition. As if they were one person all three of the girls looked up at Mello and stared at him with utter hatred. The small one, he knew to be Thorne protectively grabbed onto Blake and the tallest of the girls Catherine moved in front of Blake defensively.

Mello tched and turned on his heel walking away, there was something screwed up with their hostages. Meanwhile the girls gently dragged Blake to the back end of the room as far away from the door as they could get. Thorne leapt to her feet stripping the beds of sheets and pillows and dragging them over, with Catherine's help the two made a makeshift nest on the floor for all the girls while Elizabeth held Blake up trembling as she stared in horror at her friend's face.

None of them knew what had happened to Blake just that they separated her from the group, the last thing they were informed of was how their parents and the police had been contacted about the ransom money.

"Blake, Blake are you alright, what the heck did they do to you?" Catherine asked rubbing her friend's back like a concerned mother.

"I'm fine. It's mostly just bruising, it looks worse than it is." She instead sucking in a deep breath and then released a sigh, "And it wasn't any of your faults at all. I have to tell you something about my father, that's why they did this."

"W-what do you mean?" Elizabeth asked looking at Blake, _what if I can blame Blake for everything that happened? _She thought, ever since Blake was dragged away from them all Elizabeth could think was what would happen to her. She would have to tell them about bringing all the girls to Sleemen's and how she texted the kidnappers telling them where to find them. She was terrified of being arrested or worse, but now she saw an opportunity to save herself.

Blake heaved another sigh wincing, it stung from her rib that she heard crack and wasn't sure was broken as well as the several bruises covering her, "My father was once of these guys."

"You mean he was a member of the mafia?" Thorne asked in disbelief.

"Worse, he was a mafia boss." Blake admitted and then flinched awaiting the response.

The other girls gasped in horror and there was an awkward silence that seemed to stretch on for years before Catherine cleared her throat, "You said was-does that mean he no longer is one?" she asked.

"He was found out and arrested, he's currently in jail for life. He was arrested six years ago when I was eleven." Blake explained, she felt a small reassuring hand clamp down on her shoulder.

Thorne weakly smiled at Blake her eyes sad, "Well I guess we just don't get to pick our parents. I can't blame you for the bad things he's done." She whispered and Catherine nodded her head in agreement, Blake smiled weakly.

"So that's why they beat you, what were they trying to accomplish, sending your father a message or something?" Elizabeth asked and the other three girls stopped smiling and stared at her.

"Something like that you could say." Blake muttered as she heard the door to the room slam shut and lock reminding her of her cell this room however had dull lights that hung overhead sending a sickly green-white over everything. The girls shifted around in their nest of thin sheets and flat pillows getting themselves comfortable, and despite Blake's protests the girls forced her to be the one to sleep in the corner insisting that they needed to protect her.

Meals came periodically, Blake tried to determine what time of day it was when they came but it was harder then she anticipated. All of the meals were the same there was no separation between breakfast lunch and dinner, and there weren't any long breaks to suggest night time. However, the girls could tell that days had passed.

Blake could see them getting anxious and riled up but she tried to comfort them and herself by saying that negotiations were just taking a long time. She was certain it'd take time considering the amount of money the mafia were hoping to get. Her hand was still swollen and sore, Catherine who had taken first aid courses with Thorne's assistance, Thorne having lots of experience with hand injuries helped to bandage the hand by ripping off part of one of their sheets. The swelling of her bruises went down relatively fast and the bruises for the most part faded to yellow, since Blake was tossed into the room they had had no contact with their kidnappers.

That was until the door swung open revealing unfamiliar thugs, "Which one of you is Catherine?" they barked, Blake protectively moved in front of Catherine staring down the potential threat. They acknowledged her stare, "Your parents have agreed to pay the ransom, we're taking you to them now."

"She's not going anywhere without at least one of us." Blake growled protectively.

"We get to pick then, or none of you will go." They tossed back at her and Blake frowned unimpressed she wanted to go, the thugs glanced them over, "You." They said pointing at Elizabeth who squeaked in terror flinching.

Blake glanced at Elizabeth her eyes pleading, "Please Elizabeth, please go with Catherine. One of us will go with you when it's your time." She whispered to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth weakly nodded, Catherine helped pull her to her feet and together the two girls walked out of the room clasped onto one another. Blake glared the thugs down and she could see them shudder in fright at her unspoken threat. The door slammed shut and Blake was left with Thorne.

"Hey, Blake. What happens when we all leave, they can't hold you for ransom?" Thorne whispered nervously.

Blake smiled at her reassuring the younger girl preparing herself to lie through her teeth, "I'm sure they'll just let me go it's not like I know anything that could take them down or anything." She said cheerfully smiling and Thorne smiled nodding her head accepting the excuse. Thorne yawned, "I think you should take a nap kiddo, you need your sleep." Blake whispered. Thorne nodded and shifted to lie down pressing her body up against Blake's. Blake reassuringly stroked Thorne's hair, Thorne was like her little sister now. She wasn't replacing Ella, but Blake felt she had adopted the small tenth grader and was now responsible for her.

Blake began to nod off herself when the door to their cell was thrown open, she became alert immediately almost jumping up in excitement. She stopped herself though realising that it'd disturb Thorne. She stared expectantly at the door hoping to see Elizabeth being returned to them.

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><p>Author's Rambling Space:<p>

So this is what I'll post for now, just getting a feel for it's reception. If you all like I'll post more (it's already written!) Also I may post a bonus chapter of Thorne and Matt since they get along but again only if I can tell y'all like it.

Well thank you for reading! All comments and criticisms are welcome! Have an awesome day!

I do not own Death Note or any of it's characters


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